JUDGMENT
NON-REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO. 2980 OF 2017 [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C) NO. 6033 OF 2017 ] [@ SPECIAL LEAVE PETITION (C).....CC NO. 3207 OF 2017 ] DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY Appellant(s)
VERSUS
PUNEET LAKRA AND ORS. Respondent(s)
JUDGMENT
KURIAN, J.
1.
Delay condoned.
2.
Leave granted.
3. The issue, in principle, is covered against the appellant by judgments in Civil Appeal No. 8477 of 2016 arising out of Special Leave Petition (C) No. 8467 of 2015 and Civil Appeal No. 5811 of 2015 arising out of Special Leave Petition (C) No. 21545 of 2015.
4. This appeal is, accordingly, dismissed.
5. In the peculiar facts and circumstances of this case, the appellant is given a period of one year to exercise its liberty granted under Section 24(2) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 for initiation of the acquisition proceedings afresh.
JUDGMENT
6. We make it clear that in case no fresh acquisition proceedings are initiated within the said period of one year from today by issuing a Notification under Section 11 of the Act, the appellant, if in possession, shall return the physical possession of the land to the original land owner.
Pending applications, if any, stand disposed of. No costs.
.......................J. [ KURIAN JOSEPH ] .......................J. [ A. M. KHANWILKAR ]
New Delhi;
February 17, 2017.