Bombay High Court Protects Farmers’ Right to Liberal Compensation Redetermination

The Bombay High Court held that an application under Section 28-A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, cannot be dismissed only for not attaching a certified copy when it was filed within the statutory period.

The ruling came in a writ petition filed by a farmer challenging the rejection of his compensation re-determination request in the Kitwad Minor Irrigation Tank Project acquisition.

The Court noted that a true copy of the judgment had been submitted and clarified that certified copies are required only to verify the limitation. 

It directed the Sub-Divisional Officer to reconsider the application on merits, without rejecting it on limitation or procedural grounds.

[Tukaram Janaba Patil v. The Collector, Kolhapur & Ors.]