IN THE HIGH COURT OF KERALA AT ERNAKULAM PRESENT : THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE PIUS C.KURIAKOSE & THE HONOURABLE MR. JUSTICE P.Q.BARKATH ALI MONDAY, THE 8TH JUNE 2009 / 18TH JYAISHTA 1931 LA.App..No.447 of 2003 ---------------------------- LAR.241/1994 of II ADDL.SUB COURT,TRIVANDRUM .................... APPELLANT(S): RESPONDENT/ ------------------------- STATE OF KERALA, REP. BY THE GOVT. PLEADER HIGH COURT OF KERALA, ERNAKULAM BY SR. GOVERNMENT PLEADER SRI.P.K.BABU RESPONDENT: CLAIMANTS/ADDL.CLAIMANTS 29 TO 33: -------------------------------------------------------------- 1. M.HASHIM,KUNNUMPURATHU VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI,NEDUMANGAD. 2. M.SHAJAHAN OF DO. DO. 3. M.FASALUDEEN, AYNIVILAKATHU VEEDU, DO. 4. M.USAFF,THERIKKATTU PUTHEN VEEDU, PARIKKAPARA MANICKAL MURI, PULLUMPARA VILLAGE,NEDUMANGAD. 5. M.JAMAL MUHAMMED, NAJEEB MANZIL, PATTOM WARD, MELTHONNACKAL VILLAGE, (M.ABDUL SALAM, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY HOLDER OF THE 5TH CLAIMANT) 6. A.ASHA BEEVI, NAJEEB MANZIL, PATTOM WARD,MELTHONNACKAL VILLAGE (M.ABDUL SALAM, THE POWER OF ATTORNEY HOLDER OF THE 6TH CLAIMANT) LA.App..No.447 of 2003 -2- 7. AMINA UMMAL, PALAVILA VEEDU, ANAD MURI, PANAVOOR VILLAGE. 8. SHEEJA BEEGUM, MEKKUMKARA PUTHEN VEEDU, ANAD MURI, PANAVOOR VILLAGE. 9. M.M.HASHIM, T.K.HOUSE,PARAKKAPPARA, PULLAMPARA, MANICKAL MURI,NEDUMANGAD. 10. K.ASUMA BEEVI,PARAYIL VEEDU, MARKET ROAD, NEDUMANGAD. 11. P.JUMAIDA BEEVI,CHARIPPAN VILAKAM VEEDU, CHANTA MUKKU,THEKKUMKARA MURI,NEDUMANGAD, REP. BY HER POWER OF ATTORNEY HOLDER OF THE 11TH CLAIMANT THAJUDEEN, NARAKATHIN VILA VEEDU, ARUVIKKARA VILLAGE, KOKKOTHAMANGALAM MURI, NEDUMANGAD. 12. M.ABDUL KARIM,KURAKKODU KUNNUMPURATHU VEEDU,THEKKUMKARA MURI, NEDUMANGAD. 13. M.MUHAMMED,RESIDING AT DO.DO. 14. A.SULAIKA BEEVI,THERIKADU PUTHEN VEEDU, MANICKAL MURI,PULLAMPARA VILLAGE, NEDUMANGAD. 15. S.SOUDA BEEVI, PUTHUVAL PUTHEN VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI,NEDUMANGAD. 16. NABEESABEEVI,W/O. ABDUL KHARIM, KUZHIVILAKATHU VEEDU,THEKKUMKARA,NEDUMANGAD SAJAD, SALIM THROUGH THE POWER OF ATTORNEY HOLDER SHAJAHAN WRITTEN STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY THE 16TH CLAIMANT ABDUL JALEEL, S/O.ALIYARU KUNJU,R/AT PALLIVILAKATU VEEDU,VALLIKODU,DARSHANA ROAD,NEDUMANGAD FROM 'KUZHIVILAKATHU VEEDU', NEDUMANGAD. 17. ABDUL RAHIM,S/O.MEERA SAYEER, KUZHIVILAKATHU VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA,NEDUMANGAD (DIED) 18. SUHARBAN BEEVI,CHARIVILAKATHU VEEDU, PARAYAKKONAM, IRAMBAYIL VEEDU,KARAKULAM. LA.App..No.447 of 2003 -3- 19. ARIFA BEEVI,CHOONDU PALAKA, MUKKU VILAKATHU VEEDU,VEERANAKKAVU VILLAGE, NEDUMANGAD, 20. ASHA BEEVI, OF DO. DO.DO. 21. ASUMA BEEVI, KUZHIVILAKATHU VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI,NEDUMANGAD. 22. SHARIFA BEEVI, OF DO. DO. 23. SAJITHA BEEVI, THANNIMMOODU,THOLIKADU, NEDUMANGAD. 24. NAZEER, THADATHARIKATHU VEEDU, PUTHENVEEDU,MANCHA, NEDUMANGAD VILLAGE. 25. P.ASHEERA BEEVI,KUZHIVILAKATHU VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI, NEDUMANGAD VILLAGE. 26. SUBAIDA BEEVI, PULINCHIYIL PUTHEN VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI,NEDUMGNAD. 27. S.FATHIMA BEEVI,CHALIPPANVILAKATHU VEEDU CHANTHA, THEKKUMKARA MURI, NEDUMANGAD. 28. SHEREEFA BEEVI, PERUMALA PUTHEN VEEDU, THEKKUMKARA MURI, NEDUMANGAD VILLAGE, NEDUMANGAD TALUK. ADDL. CLAIMANTS 29 TO 33 29. ABDUL SALAM, S/O.ABDUL RAHIM, MARUTHINAKOM CHARAL AMAN, CHEKKAKONAM MURI, KARAKULAM VILLAGE. 30. ABDUL NAZEER, S/O. ABDUL RAHIM OF DO.DO. 31. SHAJAHAN, S/L. ABDUL RAHIM OF DO.DO. 32. MUHAMMED SHAJITH, S./O. DO.DO. LA.App..No.447 of 2003 -4- 33. NOUSHAD, S/O. OF DO.DO. ADV. SRI.J.GEORGE FOR R15 SRI.P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN FOR R13,16,17,19 TO SRI.P.V.KUNHIKRISHNAN FOR 25,29 TO 33 SRI.T.A.UNNIKRISHNAN FOR R27 SRI.K.SATHEESH KUMAR FOR R27 SRI.RAM MOHAN.G. FOR R11 SRI.G.P.SHINOD FOR R11 SRI.MANU V. FOR R11 SRI.M.M.HUSAIN FOR R1TO9,12,14&18 SRI.S.SHANAVAS (VAVARAMBALAM) FOR R28 THIS LAND ACQUISITION APPEAL HAVING BEEN FINALLY HEARD ON 08/06/2009, THE COURT ON THE SAME DAY DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING: PIUS C. KURIAKOSE & P. Q. BARKATH ALI, JJ. ------------------------------------------------ L. A. A. No.447 of 2003 ------------------------------------------------ Dated this the 8th day of June, 2009 JUDGMENT Pius C. Kuriakose, J This appeal preferred by the Government pertains to acquisition of land in Nedumangadu village for the purposes of establishment of E.E.C Market at Nedumangadu. The relevant Section 4(1) notification was published on 16/06/92. The Awarding Officer categorised the properties under acquisition to categories (A) to (F) on the basis of frontage/access of of main road, edavazhy nearest to main road etc. For properties in (A) category, the Land Acquisition Officer has awarded land value at Rs.15,992/- per Are and for other categories, he awarded land value at the rates given below:- L. A. A. No.447 of 2003 -2- (B) category - Rs.12,794/- (c) category - Rs.10,235/- (d) category - Rs.9,211/- (e) category - Rs.8,750/-/- (f) category - Rs.7,438/- The evidence before the Reference Court consisted mainly of Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 judgments of the Nedumangadu Sub Court in respect of the second phase of acquisition for the same purpose. Thus, the properties in Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 were properties lying adjacent to the acquired properties in this case. The Nedumangadu Sub Court, which had occasion to decide the cases pertaining to acquisition of the second phase even earlier than the impugned judgments were passed, had granted 220% enhancement over the rates given L. A. A. No.447 of 2003 -3- by the Awarding Officer in those acquisitions which were on the basis of Section 4(1) notification published one year after the notification in this case. In fact, in those judgments, the Sub Court had relied on a document which is produced in those cases as Ext.A1. Ext.A1 in those cases was a sale deed in favour of LIC of India in respect of 10.5 cents of land in Nedumangadu village situated very near to the acquired properties in this case. Ext.A1 document revealed the land value of Rs.44,000/- per cent. What the Reference Court has done in Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14, was to award amounts lesser than the rates reflected in Exts.A1 in those cases. It is not difficult for us to hold that Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 had considerable probative value in these cases since the properties were situated adjacently L. A. A. No.447 of 2003 -4- and the acquisition was for the same purposes though one year later. The Reference Court rightly relied on these judgments and granted proportionate increase to the properties included in all the categories. Thus, 220% increase was given under the impugned judgments over the rates awarded by the Land Acquisition Officer. It is brought to our notice that the appeals preferred by the Government against Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 were dismissed by this Court by judgments 06/10/04 and 01/07/05 respectively in LAA.620/2000 and LAA.1561/2000 series. Copies of those judgments are also produced before us for perusal. Those judgments show that this Court confirmed the enhancement given to the claimants under Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 and allowed L. A. A. No.447 of 2003 -5- the cross objections filed by the claimants to the extent of granting statutory benefit to the claimants. Thus, Exts.A4, A6, A7, A9, A12 and A14 have attained finality. In view of the finality attained by those judgments, we do not find any ground for interfering with the impugned judgments at the instance of the Government. The appeals preferred by the Government will stand dismissed. No costs. PIUS C. KURIAKOSE JUDGE P. Q. BARKATH ALI JUDGE kns/-