JUDGMENT

VENKATACHALA, J.:—These Special Leave Petitions being those directed against judgments of one and the same Division Bench of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana by which market value of lands of the petitioners acquired under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short the Act) has been determined on common materials and considerations, they could be disposed of by this common judgment.

2. We shall first deal with SLP (C) Nos. 7368-7376, 7379-7390, 7393 and 7399 of 1980 directed against one of the common judgments of the High Court as the decision in them will suffice for disposal of the remaining Special Leave Petitions where common questions arise for consideration.

3. Petitioners were either the appellants or cross-objectors in the appeals before the High Court. As they were not satisfied with the amounts of compensation awarded for their acquired lands by the Court of District Judge at Chandigarh, on references received by it under Section 18 of the Act, grant of a higher compensation was sought by them from the High Court. By its common judgment, the High Court granted higher amounts of compensation for the acquired lands of the appellants and the cross