RFA No. 2326 of 2002 1 In the High Court of Punjab & Haryana at Chandigarh RFA No. 2326 of 2002 (O&M) Date of decision : 8.12.2010 State of Haryana and another .....Appellants vs Ved Parkash .....Respondent Coram: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Rajesh Bindal Present: Mr. Ashish Gupta, Assistant Advocate General, Haryana. Mr. R. A. Sheoran, Advocate, for the landowners. Rajesh Bindal J. This order shall dispose of the appeals bearing RFA Nos. 2326 to 2335, 2726 of 2002 and 725 of 2003, as the same arise out of common acquisition. The State of Haryana has filed the appeals impugning the award of the court below granting interest on the solatium amount of ` 3,01,833/- @ 9% per annum from 12.9.1996 for one year and thereafter 15% per annum till the date of payment. Briefly, the facts of the case are that vide notification dated 12.9.1996, issued under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short, `the Act'), State of Haryana acquired 14.09 acres of land, situated in village Chehar Kalan, Hadbast No. 13, Tehsil Loharu, District Bhiwani, for construction of Chehar Kalan Minor. The Land Acquisition Collector (for short, `the Collector') awarded compensation @ ` 10,06,111/- for the entire acquired land. Dissatisfied with the award of the Collector, the land owners filed objections. On reference under Section 18 of the Act, the learned court below upheld the award of the Collector regarding determination of market value of the acquired land, however, awarded interest on the solatium amount of ` 3,01,833/- @ 9% per annum from 12.9.1996 for one year and thereafter 15% per annum till the date of payment. It is this part of the award which is challenged in the present set of appeals by the State. Challenge in the present set of appeals by the State of Haryana is only with regard to the grant of interest on the solatium amount of ` 3,01,833/- @ 9% per annum from 12.9.1996 for one year and thereafter 15% per annum till the date of payment. Learned counsel for the parties fairly submitted that the issue involved in the present set of appeals is squarely covered by a judgment of Hon'ble the Supreme Court in Sunder vs Union of India JT 2001 (8) SC 130, wherein it was held that the landowners are entitled to interest even on the amount of RFA No. 2326 of 2002 2 solatium. This court also followed the same view in RFA No. 2506 of 1992 Union of India and another vs Ram Singh (deceased) through LRs, decided on 30.10.2008 and rejected the claim of the Union of India. Accordingly, the appeals filed by the State of Haryana are dismissed. 8.12.2010 (Rajesh Bindal) vs. Judge