The RFCTLARR Act governs compensation computations even when property is acquired under the National Highway Act, ensuring claimants receive fair treatment.

JUDGMENT

Dated this the 16th day of September, 2021 The coalescing interplay of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (hereinafter referred to as the “RFCTLARR Act” for short), and National Highway Act, 1956 (hereinafter referred to as the 'NH Act' for short), in computation of the compensation payable, consequent to acquisition of property by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), is presented in the facts of this case; and this being an aspect which is not often correctly understood by the owners/claimants of the acquired properties, requires to be notified in public domain through a declaration of this Court.

2. Very often, parties who have suffered acquisition, approach this Court apprehending that they will be subjected to a raw deal in computation of the compensation eligible to them, because it is likely to be done under the NHAI Act and not under the “RFCTLARR Act” . This, however, appears to be misplaced, as I will presently explain in this judgment, after placing on record an apercus of the constitutive facts involved.

3. The petitioners are stated to be the owners of certain properties which have been acquired under the requisition of the NHAI and they say that an Award has been issued by the “Competent Authority for Land Acquisition”

(CALA), as per the provisions of Section 3 (G) of the NH Act.

4. The petitioners say that going by Ext.P1 notification of the Government of India, dated 28.08.2015, compensation is required to be computed exclusively as per the provisions of the “RFCTLARR Act”; but that when they requested for reference of the Award for enhancement of compensation to the competent Authority under its ambit, the respondents are proposing to do so under the provisions of Section 3 (G) of the “NH Act”, by causing such reference to the District Collector. The petitioners say that this is illegal and unlawful because the reference can be made only under the provisions of Section 64 of the “RFCTLARR Act” and therefore, that it should reach the competent District Court and not the District Collector.

5. The petitioners thus pray that the competent respondents be directed to refer the Award, which they admit has not been produced before this Court, to the competent Court under Section 64 of the “RFCTLARR Act”.

6. I have heard Sri.T.S.Harikumar - learned counsel for the petitioners; learned Assistant Solicitor General of India - Sri.P.Vijayakumar, Sri.Salil Narayan - learned Standing Counsel for NHAI and learned Special Government Pleader - Sri.Hanil Kumar.

7. Sri.Salil Narayan, learned Standing Counsel for the NHAI, commenced his submissions in opposition to the afore plea made by Sri.T.S.Harikumar, saying that the petitioners seem to have approached this Court under a wrong impression and on an apocryphal apprehension. He invited my attention to Ext.P4, which is a notice issued to the petitioners under Section 3 (E) of the NH Act, to show me that the compensation under the Award had been computed and determined by the CALA only under the provisions of the “RFCTLARR Act”. He submitted that, therefore, the petitioners will have to approach the District Collector under (G) of the NH Act, if they are dissatisfied and that the said Authority will then consider it wholly guided by the principles under the “RFCTLARR Act”. He argued that this is exactly what has been mandated through Ext.P1 order of the Central Government, which stipulates that the provisions of the “RFCTLARR Act”, relating to determination of compensation, as per the 2nd Schedule thereto, will be applicable to the “NH Act” also. He, therefore, prayed that this writ petition be dismissed.

8. I find substantial force in the submissions of Sri.Salil Narayan, learned Standing Counsel for the NHAI because, as per Ext.P1, the provisions of the “RFCTLARR Act” have been made applicable to all the Statutes which are covered by Schedule Four therein and the NH Act certainly is