Judgment

VENKATACHALA, J.:- These appeals arise from a common judgment and separate decrees dated August 27, 1975 made by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, whereby R.F.A.s Nos. 76, 77 and 78 of 1965 filed by the claimants seeking enhanced compensation for their acquired lands were partly allowed, and R. F. A.s Nos. 68, 69 and 70 of 1965 of the State of Haryana seeking reduction in the compensation awarded to the claimants for their acquired lands were dismissed.

2. Civil Appeals Nos. 369-371 of 1976 are not filed by the State of Haryana but are filed by Messrs. Printers House Pvt. Ltd., a company for whose benefit the lands were acquired and in them reduction in the amount of compensation awarded by the High Court, is sought. Civil Appeals Nos. 946-948 of 1977 are that of the claimants and in them further enhanced compensation for the acquired lands is sought from the State and the company for whose benefit the State acquired the lands.

3. Material facts which have given rise to these appeals lie in a narrow compass:

i) Certain lands situated in the Village Ranhera, Tehsil Ballabhgarh, District Gurgaon (Haryana), abutting Delhi-Mathura Road (G. T. Road) were needed by Messrs. Printers House Pvt. Ltd., hereinafter referred to as the Company, to set up its factory for the manufacture of printing machinery. A request was made by the Company to the Punjab Government to acquire the said lands, for its benefit. The Punjab Government, which conceded to the request of the Company, by a preliminary notification under S. 4(l) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, hereinafter referred to as the Act, published in the Punjab Gazette of April 7, 1961, proposed the acquisition of the said lands. Those lands measuring about 12 acres 3 kanals 4 marlas, comprised of 8 kanals 6 marlas (5020.50 sq. yds.) and 1 kanal 19 marlas (1179.75 sq. yds.) of lands owned by Mst. Saiyadan, 9 kanals 2 marlas (5505.50 sq. yds.) and 6 kanals 15 marlas (4083.75 sq. yds.) of lands owned by Messrs Cold Storage and Food Products and 73 kanals 2 marlas (44225.50 sq. yds.) of lands owned by the Masjid of Village Ranhera. The possession of the said lands was taken over from their owners by the Sub-Divisional Officer-cum-Land Acquisition Collector, hereinafter referred to as the L.A.C., acting under Section 17 of the Act. Notices under S. 9 of the Act were, thereafter, issued by the L.A.C. to the owners of the said lands calling upon them to prefer claims for compensation. The owners, responding to the said notices, preferred their claims before the L.A.C., seeking determination of the market-value of the acquired lands at the rate of Rs. 10 per sq. yard.

ii) The L. A. C., by his common award dated August 16,1961 made under Section 12 of the Act, determined the market-value of certain acquired lands at the rate of Rs. 3,600 per acre and other acquired lands at the rate of Rs. 1,600/- per, acre. He awarded 15 per cent solatium on the market-value of the acquired lands. He also awarded interest at 4 per cent per annum on the amount of compensation payable to the claimants for their acquired lands from the date of taking their possession until the date of his award.

iii) Since the claimants did not accept the said award of the L.A.C., they made applications to him under S. 18 of the Act for referring their cases to the Civil Court for granting higher amounts of compensation for their acquired lands. The L.A.C., accordingly, sent three References to the Court of Additional District Judge-cum-Land Acquisition Judge, hereinafter referred to as the Reference Court, for determination of the just amount of compensation awardable to each of the claimants for the concerned acquired land.

iv) The Reference Court, on consideration of the evidence adduced before it by the claimants on one side and the State and the Company on the other side, made a common award and separate decrees dated October 13, 1964 determining the market-value of 8 kanals and 6 marlas of the acquired land of Mst. Sa