JUDGMENT

K.S. Radhakrishnan, J.

1. The constitutional validity of Roerich and Devika Rani Roerich Estate (Acquisition & Transfer) Act, 1996 (in short the "Acquisition Act"), the legal validity of Section 110 of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 (in short "Land Reforms Act"), the Notification No. RD 217 LRA 93 dated 8th March, 1994 issued by the State Government there under and the scope and content of Article 300A of the Constitution of India, are the issues that have come up for consideration in these civil appeals.

2. We propose to deal with the above issues in three parts. In Part-I, we will deal with the validity of Section 110 of the Land Reforms Act and the validity of the notification dated 8.3.1994 and in Part-II, we will deal with the constitutional validity of the Acquisition Act and in Part-III, we will deal with the claim for enhanced compensation and the scope of Article 300A of the Constitution.

PREFACE

3. Dr. Svetoslav Roerich, a Russian born, was an internationally acclaimed painter, artist and recipient of many national and international awards including Padma Bhushan from the President of India in the year 1961. Smt. Devika Rani Roerich, grand niece of Rabindranath