The Supreme Court clarified that a High Court cannot act as an appellate court while exercising its supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227. The judgment arose from a compensation dispute involving Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd (NICE) and landowners in Bengaluru.
Key Developments
- The High Court reduced the compensation awarded by the executing court from ₹1,000 per sq. ft. to ₹500 per sq. ft., invoking its supervisory powers.
- The Supreme Court set aside this reduction, restoring the original award.
- It reiterated that the High Court may intervene only when there is an unwarranted assumption of jurisdiction, gross abuse of jurisdiction, or unjustifiable refusal to exercise jurisdiction.
- The Court emphasized that the High Court cannot re‑weigh evidence or substitute its own factual findings unless the lower court’s decision is perverse or beyond its jurisdiction.
Important Facts
• The dispute originated from a 2007 compromise where NICE agreed to provide alternate land or compensation for land acquired for a road project.
• The executing court initially fixed compensation at ₹1,000 per sq. ft.
• The High Court, using its writ jurisdiction, reduced it to ₹500 per sq. ft.
• The Supreme Court, in a bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice N.V. Anjaria, restored the origin