RAGHBIR SINGH Vs. STATE OF PUNJAB

JUDGEMENT

(1.) By this judgment I dispose of Regular First Appeals Nos. 3647, 3648, 3721 and 3722 to 3733 and 3796 of 1999 as all the appeals have arisen from a judgment dated 14.8.1999 passed by the Court of Additional District Judge, Sangrur, who, by affirming the award of the Collector, dismissed all the references under Sec. 18 of the Land Acquisition Act (for short the Act).

(2.) Some facts can be noticed in the following manner :

(3.) Notice of the claim petitions was issued to the respondents who resisted their claim. It was pleaded on behalf of respondents 1 and 2 that the compensation awarded by the Collector is quite reasonable and more than that can be fetched from the sale of general sellers and general purchasers. It was contested that rate of the land was much higher at the time of acquisition of the land. The passage leading to the fields of the petitioners was not acquired and no separate written statement was filed by respondent No. 3. But during the course of submissions raised before the lower Court, respondent No. 3 adopted the written statement of respondents 1 and 2. Rejoinder was also filed by the landowners. All the claim petitions were consolidated and the Reference Court made the following issues for the disposal of the claim petitions :