Arun Kumar Jain And Anr vs Government Of Nct Of Delhi & Ors
2015 Latest Caselaw 1809 Del

*       IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

%                                      Judgment delivered on: 02.03.2015

+       W.P.(C) 4516/2014

ARUN KUMAR JAIN AND ANR                                      .... Petitioners

                             versus

GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI & ORS                             ..... Respondents



Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the Petitioners        : Mr Vishal Maan
For the Respondent Nos.1-2 : Mr Siddharth Panda
For the Respondent No.3    : Mr Pawan Mathur with Mr Himanshu Gupta

CORAM:
HON'BLE MR JUSTICE BADAR DURREZ AHMED
HON'BLE MR JUSTICE SANJEEV SACHDEVA

                                       JUDGMENT

BADAR DURREZ AHMED, J (ORAL)

1. Mr Siddharth Panda, the learned counsel appearing for respondent

Nos.1 and 2 has handed over the affidavit on behalf of Land Acquisition

Collector (South). The same is taken on record. The learned counsel for the

petitioners does not wish to file any rejoinder/affidavit inasmuch as all the

necessary averments are contained in the writ petition.

2. By way of this writ petition the petitioners are seeking the benefit of

section 24(2) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land

Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (hereinafter referred

to as 'the 2013 Act') which came into effect on 01.01.2014. The petitioners,

consequently, seek a declaration that the acquisition proceeding initiated

under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (hereinafter referred to as 'the 1894

Act') and in respect of which Award No. 67B/1983-84 dated 06.08.1985 was

made, inter alia, in respect of the petitioners' land comprised in Khasra

Nos. 252/2 (4-15) and 252/2 (8-19) measuring 13 bighas and 14 biswas in

village Ladha Sarai shall be deemed to have lapsed.

3. It is an admitted position that neither physical possession of the

subject lands has been taken by the land acquiring agency, nor has any

compensation been paid to the petitioners. The award was made more than

five years prior to the commencement of the 2013 Act. All the ingredients of

section 24(2) of the 2013 Act as interpreted by the Supreme Court and this

Court in the following decisions stand satisfied:-

(i) Pune Municipal Corporation and Anr v.

Harakchand Misirimal Solanki and Ors: (2014) 3 SCC 183;

(ii) Union of India and Ors v. Shiv Raj and Ors:

(2014) 6 SCC 564;

(iii) Sree Balaji Nagar Residential Association v. State of Tamil Nadu and Ors: Civil Appeal No. 8700/2013 decided on 10.09.2014;

(iv) Surender Singh vs. Union of India and Ors.:

W.P.(C) 2294/2014 decided 12.09.2014 by this Court.

4. As a result the petitioners are entitled to a declaration that the said

acquisition proceedings initiated under the 1894 Act in respect of the subject

lands are deemed to have lapsed. It is so declared.

5. The writ petition is allowed to the aforesaid extent. There shall be no

order as to costs.

                                            BADAR DURREZ AHMED, J



MARCH 02, 2015                                SANJEEV SACHDEVA, J
SR