LAND AND BUILDING DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI THROUGH ITS PRINCIPAL SECRETARY vs M/S MASS ESTATE (P) LTD.

The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the Land and Building Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, holding that under Section 24(2) of The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the failure to take possession or pay compensation within five years results in the lapse of acquisition. The Court noted that there was no stay order affecting the respondents' case, thus affirming that the appellants had no valid reason for inaction. Consequently, the appeal was found to lack merit and was dismissed without costs.