Supreme Court Halts Compensation Hike for Defence Land in Arunachal Pradesh

The Supreme Court has paused an order that increased compensation for acquiring land in Arunachal Pradesh for a defence project. The Centre challenged the High Court's directive, labeling it as based on 'fraud.' The dispute is over the compensation hike from Rs 70 crore to Rs 410 crore.

The Supreme Court recently intervened in a contentious compensation case concerning 537 acres of land acquisition for a defence project near the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. On Friday, the apex court stayed an earlier order that had enhanced the compensation amount.

A bench comprising Justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh reviewed the appeal filed by the Centre and others, challenging a March 2025 order by the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court. The Centre insisted that the initial compensation of Rs 70 crore, already disbursed to beneficiaries, was unjustly hiked to over Rs 410 crore.

Contentions have arisen over allegations of fraud, with claims that the increased compensation was based on fabricated documents presented by a person wielding a dubious power of attorney. The Supreme Court has called for a stay of the amplified compensation order, mandating a 10 percent deposit of the enhanced sum in the High Court registry within four weeks.

(With inputs from agencies.)