M K AYYANAR Vs. STATE OF TAMIL NADU

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS batch of writ petitions was filed by the subsequent purchasers of land in various Survey Numbers challenging Award No.1 of 1997 dated 31.10.1997 passed by the third respondent. The lands claiming to be in the possession of the petitioners were acquired under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short, 'the Act') situated in Nerkundram Village for the purpose of the K.K.Nagar Extension Scheme conceived by the second respondent Tamil Nadu Housing Board.

(2.) THE writ petitions were admitted on 17.4.1998. In the interim applications, stay of dispossession alone was granted. Subsequently, when the matters came up on 24.1.2002, the writ petitions were dismissed for want of prosecution. THEreafter, the petitioners filed applications for restoration and this Court restored the writ petitions by an order dated 24.3.2007. THE matters have now come to be posted for final disposal.

(3.) THOUGH very many grounds were raised in the affidavits filed in support of the writ petitions, the learned counsel for the petitioners primarily advanced only two contentions. The first contention was that there was a delay in finalising the Award and, therefore, the Award proceedings were hit by the limitation provided under Section 11-A of the Act, which came into force during the pendency of the Award proceedings. Even if calculated in terms of the explanation to Section 11-A of the Act, the Award was delayed by a period of 8 months and 20 days. Therefore, the Award must be quashed.