INDIRA BAHUGUNA AND ORS vs LT GOVERNOR OF DELHI AND ORS

Judgment text excerpt

$~10 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Date of Decision: 04.03.2025 + W.P.(C) 3905/2017 INDIRA BAHUGUNA AND ORS .....Petitioners Through: Mr Praveen Suri, Advocate. Versus LT GOVERNOR OF DELHI AND ORS .....Respondents Through: Mr Siddharth Panda with Mr Ritank and Mr Anil Pandey, Advocates for R1 to R3. Ms Manika Tripathy, Standing Counsel with Mr Ashutosh Kaushik, Advocates for DDA. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE VIBHU BAKHRU HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE TEJAS KARIA VIBHU BAKHRU, J (Oral) 1. The petitioner has filed the present petition, inter alia, praying that the acquisition of the land described as land comprising in Khasra nos. 990(4-16) and 930 (2-5) situated in the Revenue Estate of Village Satbari, Tehsil, Saket, New Delhi [subject land] be declared as lapsed by virtue of Section 24(2) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 [2013 Act]. 2. The notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 [LA Act] in respect of certain lands including the subject land was published on 25.11.1980. This was followed by a declaration under Section 6 of the LA Act which was issued on 27.05.1985. The award being Award No. 14, 1987-88 [the Award] under Section 11 of the LA Act was Signature Not Verified Digitally Signed By:RAM W.P.(C) 3905/2017 Page 1 of 5 KUMAR Signing Date:12.03.2025 21:11:23 pronounced on 26.05.1987. 3. It is the petitioners’ case that the subject lands were owned by their predecessor-in-interest, Sh. Shambhu Prasad Bahuguna who expired on 10.11.2012. The petitioners claim to be his legal heirs, and assert that they continue to be in physical possession of the subject land. They also state that they have not received any compensation for the subject land. 4. The petitioners hav