Summary
The Court refused to condone approximately 21 years’ delay in challenges seeking enhanced land compensation. A later award for another village acquired four years afterwards did not sufficiently explain the prolonged inaction. No poverty or financial difficulty was pleaded, and the owners had made no earlier grievance. Waiving delayed-period interest would not resolve the prejudice of reopening decades-old acquisition and allotment costs. The special leave petitions were dismissed on limitation.
Issues
- Whether later compensation granted for another village justified approximately 21 years’ delay.
- Whether waiver of interest or earlier liberal-condonation decisions warranted reopening the settled awards.
Held
- The sole explanation was learning of a later enhancement for another village. It did not establish sufficient cause preventing timely proceedings; poverty or financial hardship was not pleaded, and no grievance had been raised for about 21 years. (¶ 6.1–7.1)
- Condonation requires a proper explanation and sufficient cause. Long unexplained inaction and acquiescence could not be displaced merely by asserting entitlement to fair compensation. (¶ 7.1–8)
- The cited decisions concerned different delays, established causes and parity under the same acquisition notification. Here the comparator village was acquired four years later, and the settled development and allotment arrangements materially differed. (¶¶ 6.1, 9)
- Enhanced acquisition costs decades after allotment would burden the acquiring bodies and be difficult to recover from allottees. Forgoing interest for the delayed period would not remove that prejudice. (¶ 9)
- Refiling delays were condoned, but the much longer delays in instituting the special leave petitions were not. The petitions therefore failed on limitation rather than a reassessment of compensation merits. (¶¶ 1, 10)
Result
Applications to condone filing delays of 7,534, 7,542 and 7,886 days dismissed; special leave petitions consequently dismissed on limitation without costs. Separate refiling delays condoned.