RAJA HARISH CHANDRA RAJ SINGH vs THE DEPUTY LAND ACQUISITION OFFICER AND ANOTHER

The Supreme Court ruled that under Section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, the application for reference to the Court is timely if made within six months of the date the award is communicated to the landowner. The Court held that the Collector's award is not effective until communicated, thus the 'date of the award' refers to the date of such communication. The appellant's application was deemed timely as it was filed within six months of their knowledge of the award, overturning the lower court's dismissal of the application as time-barred.