THE STATE OF HARYANA vs SUNDER LAL

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of land acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Court held that possession must be physically taken for the acquisition to be valid, and since the respondent had not been physically dispossessed, the acquisition had lapsed as per Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act. The appeal by the State of Haryana was dismissed, affirming the High Court's order for compensation to the landowner.