Unit III · Land Laws

Public purpose, compensation and Article 300A

Study aid only. Confirm statute numbers with the current bare Act and the official OU LL.B. (3-YDC) 2024–25 syllabus PDF.

Statute sections

Act / instrument	Section	Name
Constitution of India	300A	Deprivation of property only by authority of law
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013	2	Application of the Act
Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013	3(za)	Public purpose

AIR 1954 SC 170 · Supreme Court of India

Compensation under the then Article 31(2) meant a just equivalent of the property acquired.

AIR 1965 SC 1017 · Supreme Court of India

A law that fixes compensation illusorily, unrelated to the value of the land, does not satisfy the constitutional requirement of compensation.

(2008) 9 SCC 552 · Supreme Court of India

Public purpose is primarily for the State to determine; courts interfere if the acquisition is a colourable or mala fide exercise.