High Court of Delhi (Hon'ble Mr. Justice Amit Sharma, presiding alone), order dated 25.02.2026 in CONT.CAS(C) 258/2018 & CM APPL. 24829/2024 (Exemption): Jagdish Singh & Ors. (petitioners) v. Udai Pratap Singh & Anr. (R-1/DDA; R-2/LAC). Contempt petition under Sections 11/12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 praying for penal orders against the respondents for alleged non-compliance with the Division Bench order dated 18.04.2017 passed in W.P.(C) 8404/2015 and the LAC's compliance order dated 07.07.2017, including imposition of heavy penalty for non-payment of the compensation amount and a direction to pay it. The 18.04.2017 Division Bench order had opined that a land owner is ordinarily entitled to interest from the date of dispossession (23.11.2005) and that the interest clock stops only when the entire compensation with accrued interest is deposited, held the period up to the award (10.03.2013) prima facie eligible for interest under the Act, and directed the LAC to examine and pass appropriate orders within 8 weeks; the writ petition was disposed of in those terms. Following a predecessor-bench order dated 13.02.2023, meetings held on 24.02.2023, 06.03.2023 and 10.03.2023 concluded that the 07.07.2017 entry was the then LAC's note-sheet observation and not a formal order, and that an earlier LAC order dated 21.10.2015 on writ petition number 8114/2014 filed by the petitioners had not been brought to the then LAC's notice; the Additional Chief Secretary, Land & Building Department accordingly required compliance with the 18.04.2017 direction by a speaking order after due opportunity to the petitioners and DDA. The resultant formal speaking order dated 10.05.2023 (F.No. F1(11)/LAC(N)/HC/Jagdish Singh/2023/304) found the petitioners not entitled to interest under Section 34 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Holding that the initial Division Bench direction — namely, to dispose of the petitioner's representation — had thereby been fulfilled, the Court disposed of the contempt petition with liberty to the petitioner to avail his remedies as available in law, and likewise disposed of pending applications.
