JUDGMENT :

SANJAY KUMAR, J

1. Leave granted.

2. Acquisition of land for four-laning of National Highway No. 547-E entailed payment of compensation. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is aggrieved by enhancement of the compensation payable to a landowner, Alfa Remidis Ltd. Hence, this appeal.

3. By order dated 14.11.2025, this Court directed NHAI to deposit Rs.50,00,000/- and permitted Alfa Remidis Ltd. to withdraw the same. Operation of the judgment dated 05.06.2025 passed by the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, in Arbitration Appeal No. 39 of 2023, presently under challenge, was stayed.

4. Alfa Remidis Ltd., respondent No. 1, claimed ownership over an extent of 1,394 square meters in Survey No. 66 of Mouza Pardi (Rithi) in Tahsil-Saoner, Nagpur District. Notification dated 09.05.2017 was issued under Section 3A(1) of the National Highways Act, 1956¹[For brevity, ‘the NH Act’], for acquisition of this extent of land along with other lands for widening NH No. 547-E. The Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition (General), Nagpur, being the competent authority, determined the compensation payable for this land under Section 3G(1) of the NH Act, by order dated 27.03.2018