Supreme Court Upholds ‘Belting Method’ : Orders Equal Compensation for Adjacent Villages in Haryana Land Acquisition Case
The Supreme Court ruled that adjacent villages with similar locational advantages must receive equal compensation in land acquisition cases, rejecting artificial disparities. It upheld the "belting method" for valuation but emphasized parity between villages Kukrola and Fazalwas near NH-8. The Court affirmed 10% annual escalation on sale exemplars and disallowed development cuts for highway-adjacent "inner belt" lands, while maintaining 30% cuts for interior plots. The judgment reinforces equitable compensation principles under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.
Facts Of The Case:
The case arose from land acquisition proceedings initiated by the Haryana government in 2008 for developing the Chaudhary Devi Lal Industrial Model Township near Gurgaon. A common Section 4 notification under the ...