APHC010264552022 IN THE HIGH COURT OF ANDHRA PRADESH AT AMARAVATI (Special Original Jurisdiction) [3526] THURSDAY, THE TWENTY FOURTH DAY OF JULY TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY FIVE PRESENT THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE NINALA JAYASURYA THE HONOURABLE SRI JUSTICE TARLADA RAJASEKHAR RAO LAND ACQUISITION APPEAL SUIT NO:12/2025 Between: 1. RAJULA NARASA REDDY ( C.1 DIED ), (APPELLANT NOS. 3 TO 5 ARE LRS OF THIS APPELLANT) 2. NARLA NARASIMHA REDDY @ NARASIMHAM DIED PER LRS 6 TO 8, ( C.2 DIED ), ( APPELLANT NOS. 6 TO 8 ARE LRS OF THIS APPELLANT) 3. UNDELA VENKATARAMANAMMA,, W/O. VENKATA NARASA REDDY, HINDU, AGED 68 YEARS. HOUSEWIFE , R/O. DACHUR VILLAGE, KALUVAY MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT. 4. DWARAKACHERLA SEETHALAKSHMAMMA, W/O. SUBBA REDDY , HINDU, AGED 60 YEARS. HOUSEWIFE , R/O. PADMAVATHI CENTRE , NELLORE TOWN , MANDAL AND DISTRICT. 5. RAJULA OBULA REDDY, S/O. LATE NARASA REDDY @ NARASIMHA REDDY , AGED 57 YEARS, AGRICULTURIST, R/O. BALAJI NAAGAR, PODALAKUR TOWN 86 MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT. 6. NARLA SOUBHAGYAMMA, W/O. NARASIMHA REDDY @ NARASIMHAM, HINDU, AGED 56 YEARS, HOUSEWIFE , R/O. SURAYAPALEM VILLAGE, PODALAKUR MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT. 7. AMMIREDDY LAKSHMI, D/O. NARASIMHA REDDY, W/O. AUDISHESHA REDDY , AGED 34 YEARS. HOUSEWIFE , R/O. NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 2 MAMUDURU VILLAGE, CHEJARLA MANDAL, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT. 8. BOREDDY LAVANYA, D/O. NARASIMHA REDDY, W/O. BHASKAR REDDY , AGED 32 YEARS. HOUSEWIFE , R/O. GUDALI VILLAGE, SPSR NELLORE DISTRICT. LEAVE GRANTED APPELLANT NOS 6 TO 8 ARE BROUGHT ON RECORD AS LRS OF DECEASED APPELLANT NO.2 VIDE COURT ORDER DT 27.3.2025 IN LAAS NO. 12/2025 ...APPELLANT(S) AND 1. THE SPECIAL DEPUTY COLLECTOR, (Land Acquisition) Telugu Ganga Project, Rapur at Nellore. ...RESPONDENT pleased to allow the appeal and enhance the compensation in the interest of justice IA NO: 1 OF 2022 Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased pleased to grant leave to the petitioner Nos. 4 to 6 as LRs of deceased appellant No. 2 herein, to file the above appeal against the Order and Decree dated 07-09-2012 passed in LAOP No.31 of 1990 on the file of the Senior Civil Judge Gudur, in the interest of justice, and pass IA NO: 1 OF 2025 Petition under Section 151 CPC praying that in the circumstances stated in the affidavit filed in support of the petition, the High Court may be pleased pleased to condone the delay of 2586 days in preferring appeal against the Judgment and Decree dated 07-09-2012 passed in LAOP No. 31/1990 on the file of Honourable Senior Civil Judge, Gudur and allow us to prosecute the present appeal, in the interest of justice Counsel for the Appellant(S): 1. CHETLURU SREENIVAS Counsel for the Respondent: 1. GP FOR APPEALS NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 3 The Court made the following: JUDGMENT: (Per Hon’ble Sri Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao) Dissatisfied with the compensation granted to the appellants by the Reference Court, for the lime, mango, soapnut, tamarind, palmyrah, marri and babul trees, vide order dated 07.09.2012, in L.A.O.P.No.31 of 1990 on the file of the Senior Civil Judge, Gudur, the present L.A.A.S.No.12 of 2025 came to be filed seeking enhancement of the compensation for the trees. 2. The land of the claimants was acquired by the respondent authorities for Kandaleru Reservoir for foreshore submersion of Telugu Ganga Project. Aggrieved by the award of the Reference Court in not fixing the compensation for trees the present land acquisition appeal is filed under Section 54 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for brevity, hereinafter called as „the Act‟) for fixation of compensation for lime, mango, soapnut, tamarind, palmyrah, marri and babul trees. 3. Learned counsel appearing for the appellants would submit that this Court, the composite High Court of Andhra Pradesh at Hyderabad and the Hon‟ble Apex Court have fixed the rate for pomegranate trees @ Rs.3,000/- per tree and for mango trees @ Rs.3,000/- per tree and for coconut trees @ Rs.3,000/- per tree and for sweet orange trees (cheeni trees) @ Rs.4,000/- per tree and hence urged this Court to enhance the compensation for the aforesaid trees and to pass the same orders in the present appeal. 4. The appellants relied on the judgment of this Court in a batch of appeals, vide L.A.A.S.No.35 of 2019 and batch dated 27.09.2023 L.A.A.S.No.61 of 2022 and batch dated 05.10.2023, L.A.A.S.No.31 of 2019 dated 27.06.2019 and in L.A.A.S.No.2 of 2023 dated 04.09.2023 as also the judgment of the Hon‟ble Apex Court in D.Eswara Naidu & ors. Vs. the Special Deputy Collector (L.A.) in Civil Appeal No.11355 of 2018 dated 20.11.2018, the judgment of the composite High Court in The Special Deputy Collector NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 4 (Land Acquisition), Somasila Project, Unit-IV, Rajampet, Kadapa, Kadapa District Vs. Peddireddy Madhava Reddy and others. In the above said judgments, the compensation was fixed @ Rs.3,000/- per each pomegranate, mango tree, acid lime tree, coconut tree, guava, jack-fruit and sapota (sapodilla) and also the trees i.e., drumstick and neredu (black-plum). So far as the tamarind and soap-nut are concerned, the Court has fixed Rs.6,000/- and Rs.5,000/- respectively for each tree. 5. Learned counsel for the appellants further relied on the judgment of this Court in L.A.A.S.No.28 of 2019 and batch dated 05.11.2019, L.A.A.S.No.61 of 2023, L.A.A.S.No.63 of 2022 and the judgment in Pidugu Kondala Rayudu v. Special Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition, Telugu Ganga Project Unit, Kadapa reported in (2012) 12 SCC 848. In D. Eswara Naidu & Ors., versus The Special Deputy Collector(L.A.) (in Civil Appeal No. 11355 of 2018) dated 20.11.2018 reported in (2019) 13 SCC 785, the Hon‟ble Supreme Court, inter alia held as follows: “The issue raised in these appeals pertains to the claim made by the appellants for enhancement of compensation for pomegranate trees, which stood in the land acquired for the purpose of Somashila/Telugu Ganga Project. The notifications in these cases have been issued on different dates between 1990 to 1994. The appellants had been granted compensation at the rate of Rs.2000/- per Pomegranate Tree. We find from Civil Appeal Nos.11404-11405 of 2016 that this Court has fixed compensation at the rate of Rs.3,000/- per pomegranate tree, as against the Rs.2000/- fixed by the High Court, in respect of the acquisition for the same project, for which notification was issued in the year 1994. Having regard to the entire facts and circumstances of the case, we are of the view that it would be just, reasonable and proper to fix the compensation at the rate of Rs.3,000/- per NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 5 Pomegranate Tree. Therefore, these appeals are disposed of with the following directions: (i) The appellants shall be entitled to compensation at the rate of Rs.3,000/- (Rupees Three Thousand) per Pomegranate Tree along with all statutory benefits. (ii) However, they shall not be entitled to statutory interest for the period of delay in approaching this Court or the High Court.” 6. In Civil Appeal No.2947 of 2022, the Hon‟ble Apex Court has fixed compensation for the pomegranate trees @ Rs.3,000/- per tree, following the judgment of the Hon‟ble Apex Court in D.Eswara Naidu & ors Vs. The Special Deputy Collector (L.A.) (referred supra), in Civil Appeal No.11355 of 2018, in respect of the very same project. 7. Learned Government Pleader for Appeals contends that the trees existed were pre-bearing trees (plants) and accordingly the value was fixed by the Land Acquisition Officer and the Reference Court has rightly answered the said issue and stated that the appellants are not entitled for the enhancement of compensation on the basis of the judgments relied on by the learned counsel for the appellants, as they are pre-bearing trees. Hence, urged this Court to dismiss the appeal. 8. The appellant's counsel has cited a recent decision of the Hon‟ble Supreme Court in the case of Mallamputi Ratnamma (Died) by L.R. vs. The Special Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition), rendered in C.A.No.2557 of 2024 on 26.07.2024. In this judgment, the Hon‟ble Supreme Court stated that landowners whose properties have been expropriated are entitled to compensation of Rs.3,000/- per pomegranate tree. For whatever reason, the Supreme Court had framed two additional questions in the order in the Special Leave Petition, pertaining to the actual number of pomegranate trees present, and (ii) the number of such trees per acre that were acquired and to resolve NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 6 these questions, which also serves as the land acquisition court, while providing a fair opportunity for all parties to be heard, specifically directing the Reference Court not to raise any objections regarding limitation. 9. Learned counsel for the appellants also mentioned that some of the claimants had directly approached the Hon‟ble Apex Court through Civil Appeal No(s).4314/2024 or SLP (Civil No.12395/2024) with application I.A.No.193948 of 2024, seeking a direction to refer to the Lok Adalat for the resolution of land acquisition compensation. The said request was made in response to the communication dated 27.08.2024, issued by the Special Collector of the Telugu Ganga Project, Nellore, concerning similar relief as sought in the present appeal before this court. The Apex Court granted the request and directed the claimants to resolve their issue before the Lok Adalat. The order dated 13.09.2024 is outlined below: “Having considered the above, as the present matter pertains to claim for enhancement of compensation for the Pomegranate trees on Nellore District land, acquired from the applicant(s), the IA No. 193948 of 2024 and the main matter stand disposed of, vide order dated 13.09.2024, by permitting the parties to settle their dispute through the Lok Adalat proceedings in the Court at Nellore, as per the proceedings proposed by the Special Collector, in his communication dated 27.08.2024.” 10. Following the direction of the Hon‟ble Apex Court in SLP (Civil No.12395/2024), the District Lok Adalat Bench in Nellore has passed an award vide order dated 05.07.2025, to pay compensation for the trees and also directed to pay compensation for structures and other trees. The appellant's counsel fairly stated though the award is silent about specific fixation of the compensation for the pomegranate and other trees, but the compensation was fixed at Rs.2,800/- per tree but requested to grant Rs.3,000/- per pomegranate and coconut trees, contending that the Lok NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 7 Adalat award is a consent award and it cannot be relied upon. As argued by the appellant‟s counsel and it is well established that a consent award should not be the basis for the passing of the award on merit. 11. In the judgment of the Hon‟ble Apex Court in D.Eswara Naidu & ors Vs. The Special Deputy Collector (L.A.) (referred supra) in Civil Appeal No.11355 of 2018, the Hon‟ble Apex Court has fixed the rate for the pomegranate trees and other trees for the very same Somasila/Telugu Ganga Project @ Rs.3,000/- for pomegranate tree as against Rs.2,000/- and held that the appellants are entitled to compensation @ Rs.3,000/- for pomegranate and coconut trees along with all statutory benefits and also further observed that appellants are not entitled to statutory interest for the period of delay in approaching the High Court. 12. Learned Government Pleader for Appeals has disputed about the number of trees. Therefore, this Court is inclined to allow the appeal on fair admission made by the learned counsel for the appellants that the compensation may be enhanced as per the number of trees as identified by the Land Acquisition Officer in the award, as the appellants have not insisted for grant of compensation for the number of trees which is pleaded by the appellants in the appeal. Therefore, it is made clear that the appellants are entitled to compensation for the total number of trees as identified by the Land Acquisition Officer in the award and not as the total number of trees as the appellants claimed in the Reference Court. 13. As the claim is only with regard to the trees, the present appeal is allowed in part, enhancing the compensation for each tree as detailed below: Lime trees: Rs.3,000/- per tree Mango trees: Rs.3,000/- per tree Soapnut trees: Rs.5,000/- per tree Tamarind trees: Rs.6,000/- per tree NJS,J & TRR,J LAAS No.12 of 2025 8 Palmyrah trees: Rs.300/- per tree Remaining trees: Rs.400/- per tree 14. The appellants shall pay the Court fee (if it not paid) on the enhanced compensation amount. The appellants are not entitled to interest during the delay period i.e., 2586 days in preferring the appeal after disposal of the L.A.O.P. by the Reference Court. There shall be no order as to costs. As a sequel, interlocutory applications pending, if any, in this case shall stand closed. __________________________ JUSTICE NINALA JAYASURYA __________________________________ JUSTICE TARLADA RAJASEKHAR RAO Date: 24.07.2025 Ksj