valuable and that the compensation should be paid at the rate between Rs.700/- and Rs.1,000/- per sq.ft. It is also stated in evidence that the property, namely the acquired land, was purchased by paying substantial amount and that market value is not less than Rs.4,50,000/- per cent. It is unfortunate to notice that, though the claimants claimed compensation at Rs.1,000/- per sq.ft. and Rs.4,50,000/- per cent, the documents filed by them as sale exemplars would show a very meager value. The claimants could not find any sale deed in respect of adjacent lands but contended that the acquired lands would be 4 to 5 times more than the lands covered under the sale exemplars produced. Relying upon a judgment reported in 1997 (3) LW 549 [M.P.Venugopal v. Revenue Divisional Officer, Pollachi, Coimbatore] and the oral evidence of claimants, the Reference Court found that the acquired lands are located in a busy commercial area surrounded by cinema theatres, Hotels and other commercial establishments. Since the acquired land is just abutting the road, sale exemplars were found inadequate. The Reference Court, however, fixed the market value at Rs.175/- per sq.ft. based on overall assessment without indicating how this amount could be rationalised. Therefore, this Court is of the firm view that
