Karnataka HC Directs Consent Award For Farmer’s Honnihal Lands Under 2025 Government Order

In brief

The question

1. Whether the petitioner was entitled to a direction requiring the Special Land Acquisition Officer to pass a consent award for his lands by extending the benefit of the Government Order dated 9 October 2025.

The court held

The petition was partly allowed.

It also directed

Respondent No. 6, the Special Land Acquisition Officer, was directed to pass a consent award for the petitioner’s lands pursuant to notification No. ViJiJa/BhuSwa-02/CR-25/2022-23 dated 16 February 2023, extending the benefit of the Government Order dated 9 October 2025.

The petitioner was directed to appear before the officer on 31 October 2026 at 11:00 a.m.; further proceedings were to be conducted in accordance with law, as expeditiously as possible and within nine months from the date of first appearance.

01Facts

The petitioner sought completion of acquisition proceedings concerning his lands in Sy. Nos. 53/3 and 53/4 at Honnihal Village, initiated by a preliminary notification dated 16 February 2023, and sought the benefit of a consent award under the Government Order dated 9 October 2025.

p. 2 · ¶ 2

Alternatively, he sought an award under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

p. 2 · ¶ 2

The matter was taken up for final disposal with the parties’ consent because the Court considered it covered by a coordinate Bench decision in W.P. No. 104148 of 2026.

p. 3 · ¶ 1

02Issues

i.1. Whether the petitioner was entitled to a direction requiring the Special Land Acquisition Officer to pass a consent award for his lands by extending the benefit of the Government Order dated 9 October 2025.

pp. 3–4, 7 · ¶ 2, 6

ii.2. Whether the acquisition proceedings and determination of compensation were required to be completed under the 2013 Act, as alternatively sought by the petitioner.

p. 4 · ¶ 2

03Law Applied

The Court acted under its writ jurisdiction under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution.

p. 2

It applied the Government Order dated 9 October 2025, directing that its benefit be extended through a consent award, and followed coordinate Bench decisions concerning that benefit, including W.P. No. 104148 of 2026 and the decisions cited within it.

pp. 3–7 · ¶ 1, 4

The Court did not separately analyse or state a rule under the 2013 Act; the operative relief was based on the Government Order and the cited precedents.

04Reasoning

The Court found the petitioner’s case identical to the matters addressed by the coordinate Bench and therefore followed that line of decisions rather than independently examining the alternative claim for an award under the 2013 Act.

pp. 3–7 · ¶ 1, 4–5

Applying the Government Order to the petitioner’s lands, it directed the Special Land Acquisition Officer to pass a consent award and conduct further proceedings in accordance with law.

p. 7 · ¶ 6, 8