Landowners’ Damage Awards for Pre-Notification Possession Stand as Karnataka HC Rejects KNNL’s Challenge

The petitioner, the beneficiary of the acquisitions, challenged two damage awards dated 31 July 2025 concerning lands in Belavadi and Naginhal villages.

The awards granted damages for the period between taking possession and issuance of the preliminary notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894; the petitioner sought certiorari to quash them.

The High Court noted that the issue was covered by its earlier decision in W.P. No. 102606/2024, which had followed a Co-ordinate Bench decision in W.P. No. 106315/2025.

The Court relied on its prior decisions in W.P. Nos. 102606/2024 and 106315/2025, including the latter’s reliance on decisions of the Karnataka High Court concerning damage awards and on National Highways Authority of India v. Resham Singh (Punjab and Haryana High Court).

The principles recited in those decisions included that arbitrary denial of compensation or statutory benefits to landowners may violate Article 14 of the Constitution, and that inadequate compensation for acquired land may implicate the landowners’ rights under Article 300A.

The prior decisions also referred to the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, including Section 4(1) and the compensation provisions in Sections 23(2) and 28.

The present order applied those precedents rather than independently setting out or reconsidering the underlying statutory analysis.

The Court treated the two petitions as presenting the same issue already resolved by its earlier decisions.

It reproduced the reasoning in W.P. No. 102606/2024, which had followed the Co-ordinate Bench decision in W.P. No. 106315/2025 and the authorities cited there.

On that basis, it held that the dispute was no longer res integra and dismissed the petitions in accordance with the earlier order.

The order notes that some respondents’ notices had been returned marked “Deceased,” but does not separately analyse that circumstance.