The Bombay High Court has ordered a municipal corporation to compensate landowners for a property acquired in 2009 for development, bringing an end to a lengthy legal dispute. The case centered on a 5-acre plot located in Kupwad, Taluka Miraj, which has remained unresolved for over 15 years.
The legal conflict began when landowners, represented by petitioners, sought compensation after their land was designated for development under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act. Although the municipal corporation took possession of the land in May 2009, it failed to complete the acquisition process or provide fair compensation. Following years of unresolved legal representations and notices, the petitioners approached the High Court in 2019.
During court proceedings, the corporation admitted to making a temporary payment of Rs 1 lakh as interim compensation, with the final compensation amount pending government valuation. Previous attempts at settlement directed by the High Court were unsuccessful, as the petitioners contended that the offered compensation of Rs 62,17,280 was significantly below the Ready Reckoner rates, which were nearly four times higher.
The bench emphasized that the petitioners had not been granted fair compensation, highlighting that the acquisition process had significantly prolonged. The Court criticized both the State and the corporation for failing to follow the principles of compulsory acquisition and mandated that the corporation provide an additional ad-hoc compensation of Rs 62,17,280 to the petitioners within two weeks, pending the determination of the final compensation and statutory entitlements in accordance with the law.
Additionally, the Court instructed the corporation to submit a formal proposal to the Sangli Collector for acquisition under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013, with the procedure required to be completed within one year.
