mandatory provisions of section 12 as well as section 31 insofar as the compensation determined in the impugned award was neither paid to the petitioners nor deposited in the Court, and even an offer to do so was made in the impugned notices only after unexplained and unjustified delay of more than 12 years. Under such circumstances, the petitioners have made a legitimate grievance that, since the possession was never taken till the end of the year 2003, the petitioners would be entitled only to compensation at the market value of 1988, with interest, till the date of award in 1991, resulting into the compensation being rendered illusory and far removed from the market value to which the petitioners would be entitled as a matter of their fundamental right. It was pointed out from various averments in the petition, representations and applications of the petitioners and it is not seriously controverted that the petitioners were agriculturists and personally cultivating the land which was also within the ceiling limit. Under such circumstances, it was contended for the respondents that the petitioners were, all throughout, reluctant to part with their land and not co-operating with the authorities in the acquisition proceedings while making representations to the higher authorities for release of their lands from acquisition. Therefore, the delay in final vesting of the land in the Government was partly attributable to the petitioners and they cannot be allowed to take benefit of their own wrong. Such arguments cannot be accepted for the simple reason that not co-operating with the acquisition proceedings and making efforts to prevent the acquisition were not per se wrong or illegal; whereas no such alleged non-cooperation or making of representations absolved the authorities from their legal obligation to comply with the mandatory provisions of the Act. The net result for the petitioners, which cannot be ignored, was that the petitioners were offered compensation by notices under section 12 after inordinate, unexplained and unjustified
