Vasant Kishanrao Jadhav and Others v. the State of Maharashtra and Others
Land acquisition – Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955 (Ss.15, 16, 18, 19A-19D, 19P)
Case brief
What is this about?
Maharashtra Highways Act 1955 S.19B compensation determination; Jalna-Nanded Super Expressway / Samruddhi corridor; District Level Committee (GR 12.05.2015, GO 29.05.2018) minutes not enforceable; 25% additional compensation; consent award S.19B(2) vs compulsory award S.19B(3); second valuation report irregularity cured by later hearing; no finality without statutory award; promissory estoppel cannot override statute; functus officio; second award permissible before final crystallization; arbitration under S.19B(8) is the remedy for valuation disputes; Article 226 writ dismissed; interim relief vacated; possession per S.19P; 18 writ petitions (lead WP 3703/2025) decided by common judgment; MSRDC; Collector Parbhani communication 10.01.2025; award 29.09.2025.
What did the court decide?
The Government Orders of 2015 and 2018 do not dilute the statutory authority of the Land Acquisition Officer; the District Level Committee, though important in policy implementation, operates within a Government Resolution domain and not as a statutory adjudicatory authority under the Act; elevating its internal decisions or minutes to enforceable statutory determinations would run contrary to the statutory scheme.