UJJAIN VIKAS PRADHIKARAN vs TARACHAND

The Supreme Court ruled that under Section 22(2) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, prior to its amendment, the court was prohibited from enhancing compensation beyond the amount claimed by the party. The Court held that even after the deletion of this sub-section by Amendment Act 68 of 1984, a party's claim limits the court's power to award compensation. In this case, since the respondents claimed compensation of Rs.20,000 per bigha, the High Court's award of Rs.26,125 per bigha was deemed illegal and set aside.