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In a decisive blow against governmental apathy, India's High Court are cracking down on decades-long delays in land acquisition compensation, with recent rulings demanding prompt payment, including significant interest. Just yesterday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered authorities to disburse a staggering ₹3.35 crore in compensation within eight weeks for land acquired for a National Highway project, explicitly stating that bureaucratic lethargy cannot supersede a citizen's constitutional right to property. This follows a broader trend set by the Supreme Court, which earlier this year reaffirmed that administrative inefficiencies and the financial burden on the state cannot dilute the constitutional guarantee of just compensation. Notably, in a case involving over two decades of delay in Karnataka, the apex court intervened to re-fix compensation based on current market value, effectively ensuring significantly enhanced payouts to landowners deprived for years. Such interventions underscore the judiciary's increasing impatience with state bodies that acquire private land for public projects but fail to provide timely and fair remuneration, often leaving affected families in limbo for generations. The implications are far-reaching: state and central agencies like the NHAI are now under intense pressure to streamline their compensation processes. With the Supreme Court also clarifying in February that appeals against compensation awards are not automatically barred by the Limitation Act, and that High Court can condone delays, the judiciary is opening avenues for long-suffering landowners to seek redress. This signals a new era of accountability for land acquisition, pushing for swifter, more equitable settlements that reflect the true market value of property rather than outdated valuations.