Velaxan Kumar vs Union Of India & Ors

The Supreme Court ruled that under Section 24(2) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the land acquisition proceedings are deemed to have lapsed if the award was made more than five years prior to the commencement of the Act and physical possession has not been taken. The Court held that since the appellant had not been dispossessed and compensation was not paid, the acquisition was invalid. Consequently, the appeal was allowed, and the High Court's dismissal was set aside.