Mani Ram etc. Vs State of Haryana — Land Acquisition | Punjab & Haryana HC (2026)

Mani Ram etc. Vs State of Haryana — Land Acquisition | Punjab & Haryana HC (2026)

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Revision petition allowed; order dated 06.03.2014 of the Reference Court set aside; petitioners held entitled to uniform market value @ Rs.2,00,000/- per acre along with all statutory benefits under the 1894 Act. Pending misc. application(s) disposed of accordingly.

Issue for consideration

Whether the petitioners/landowners, whose Section 28A application resulted in compensation @ Rs.1,25,000/- per acre on classification of their land as barani, were entitled to compensation at the uniform market value of Rs.2,00,000/- per acre irrespective of the nehri/chahi/barani classification, as re-assessed by this Court in its even-dated decision in RFA 2570-2008 (Phool Singh and anr. vs. State of Haryana).

Court's answer

The revision petition is allowed and the order/award dated 06.03.2014 passed by the learned Reference Court (Addl. District Judge, Sirsa) dismissing the Section 28A(3) claim is set aside.

Ratio / Principle

Following the even-dated decision of this Court in RFA 2570-2008 (Phool Singh and anr. vs. State of Haryana), which re-assessed the market value for this acquisition uniformly irrespective of the nature of the land, the petitioners are held entitled to uniform market value @ Rs.2,00,000/- per acre along with all statutory benefits provided under the 1894 Act.

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Land Acquisition (Enhancement) — Punjab & Haryana HC, CR-4270-2014 (O&M), decided 16.04.2026 (Harkesh Manuja, J.): Land measuring 10.72 acres in Village Chaharwala, acquired under Sections 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for construction of Chaharwala Minor, was valued by the LAC (Award, 04.03.2003) at Rs.1,00,000/- per acre (nehri/chahi) and Rs.65,000/- per acre (barani). A Section 18 reference was partly allowed (30.01.2008) re-assessing value at Rs.2,00,000/- (nehri) and Rs.1,25,000/- (barani) per acre; on the landowners' Section 28A application the LAC paid Rs.1,25,000/- per acre classifying their land as barani. Their Section 28A(3) reference claim — that the land was chahi, not barani — was dismissed by the Addl. District Judge, Sirsa on 06.03.2014, prompting this revision petition. Relying on its decision of even date in RFA 2570-2008, Phool Singh and anr. vs. State of Haryana, which fixed a uniform market value of Rs.2,00,000/- per acre for the same acquisition irrespective of the nature of the land, the Court allowed the revision, set aside the order dated 06.03.2014, and held the petitioners entitled to uniform market value @ Rs.2,00,000/- per acre with all statutory benefits under the 1894 Act.

CR-4270-2014 (O&M)

IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH

CR-4270-2014 (O&M) Date of Decision: 16.04.2026

Mani Ram and anr.

…….Petitioners

Versus

State of Haryana ..….Respondent

CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARKESH MANUJA

Present: Ms. G urdeep Kaur, Advocate for Mr. P .K. Ganga, Advocate for the appellants.

Mr. A bhinash Jain, DAG, Haryana

-.-

HARKESH MANUJA, J. (ORAL)

By w ay of present revision petition, challenge has been laid t o the order dated 06.03.2014 (Annexure P-3) passed by the learned Add l . District Judge, S irsa (hereinafter to be referr e d as the ‘ Reference Court ’) whereby, refer e nce petition preferred at t he instance of landowner s invoking Sectio n 28A(3) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for brevit y , “1894 Act” ), wa s dismissed.

Brie f ly stating, in the present cas e , land measuring 10.72 acre s situated within t h e revenue estate of Village C haharwala was acquired vid e Notifications dated 25.09.2001 and 18.04.2 0 02 issued under Sections 4 and 6 of the L and Acquisition Act, 189 4 (for short the ‘ 1894 Act ’) respectively, for the public purpose, n a mely, “ for construction o f Chaharwala Minor ”. Award under Section 11 of the 1894 Act was passe d by the Land A c quisition Collector (for sho r t ‘ the LAC ’) on 04.03.200 3 ,

SANJAY GUPTA 2026.04.23 19:01

I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document

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CR-4270-2014 (O&M)

thereby determi n ing the market value of the a cquired land @ Rs.1,00,000 / - per acre for ne h ri/ chahi land and Rs.65,0 0 0/- per acre for barani lan d besides award o f all other statutory benefits and interests provided und e r the 1894 Act.

Dissatisfied with the Award pa s sed by the LAC, referenc e petition under S e ction 18 of the 1894 Act w a s preferred at the instance o f similarly situate d landowners, which was p a rtly allowed by the learne d Reference Cour t vide its decision dated 30. 0 1.2008 whereby, the mark e t value was re-a s sessed @ Rs.2,00,000/- p er acre for nehri land an d Rs.1,25,000/- p er acre for barani land besides all other statutor y benefits/interest as provided under the 1894 A ct.

Bas e d thereupon, the petitioners/landowners herein preferre d application under Section 28A of the 1894 A c t before the LAC whereupo n , vide decision dated 30.01.2008, the petition e rs/landowners were awarde d compensation @ Rs.1,25,000/- per acre holding their land to be of bara n i nature.

1. Still a ggrieved, the petitioners/landowners invoked Section 28 A(3) of the 1894 Act claiming that the LAC er r ed in awarding compensatio n by treating their land as barani , whereas th e same was of chahi natur e . The learned Re f erence Court vide order dated 06.03.2014 dismissed th e said claim of the petitioners/landowners. H ence, the present revisio n petition.

I ha v e heard learned counsel for the parties and gone throug h the paper-book a s well as records of the case.

SANJAY GUPTA 2026.04.23 19:01 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document

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CR-4270-2014 (O&M)

At t h e very outset, it may be n o ticed that the market valu e pertaining to the present acquisition stands r e -assessed by this Court vid e decision of even date rendered in RFA 2570-2008 titled as “Phool Singh and anr. vs. State of Haryana” whereb y the landowners were hel d entitled to award of uniform market value @Rs.2,00,000/- per acr e irrespective of t h e nature of the land along with all statutory benefits a s provided under t h e 1894 Act.

In vi e w of the above, the revision petition is allowed and th e award dated 06. 0 3.2014 passed by learned R eference Court is hereby s e t aside and the p e titioners herein are also hel d entitled to award of uniform market value @ Rs.2,00,000/- per acre along with all statutory benefits a s provided under t h e 1894 Act.

Pen d ing misc. application(s), if a n y, shall also stands dispose d

of.

16.04.2026 (HARKESH MANUJA) sanjay JUDGE Whe t her speaking/reasoned? Yes/No Whe t her Reportable? Yes/No

SANJAY GUPTA 2026.04.23 19:01 I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document

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