In Short
Agricultural industries practice spans agri-business contracting, land acquisition compensation disputes, crop insurance claims, and APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) regulatory compliance. S&S Co. advises agri-businesses, landowners and farmers across Delhi NCR and Kolkata's agricultural belt.
What This Practice Covers
Agricultural industry law covers a wide span — from agri-business supply and processing contracts to the compensation rights of landowners whose agricultural land is acquired for public purposes, and the succession rights that govern how agricultural land passes within families. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 sets the framework for acquisition and compensation, while state APMC laws regulate the sale of agricultural produce through regulated markets.
Through 2025-2026, the Supreme Court has actively refined this area: reaffirming that land acquisition compensation must reflect the highest bona fide comparable sale exemplar rather than a diluted averaging method, holding that unutilised acquired land must in appropriate cases be returned proportionately to original owners, and confirming that Class-I heirs enjoy a preferential right to acquire inherited agricultural land under Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act before it passes to an outside purchaser.
Forums We Appear Before
Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Authority
Reference Courts (District Courts) — enhanced compensation
Delhi High Court — land acquisition & agricultural matters
Calcutta High Court — land acquisition & agricultural matters
APMC dispute resolution forums
Supreme Court of India — land acquisition appeals
Our Agricultural Industries Services
- Land acquisition compensation claims — pursuing enhanced compensation before Reference Courts and in appeal.
- Agri-business contracts — supply, processing and distribution agreements for agricultural produce.
- Succession & partition disputes — advising on agricultural land inheritance, including Section 22 preferential-purchase rights.
- Crop insurance claims — assisting farmers and agri-businesses in pursuing insurance claims under crop insurance schemes.
- APMC compliance — advisory on regulated market obligations for agricultural produce trading.
- Unutilised land reversion claims — pursuing return of acquired land left undeveloped by the acquiring authority.
- Agricultural land title disputes — resolving ownership and boundary disputes affecting farmland.
Pursuing a Land Acquisition Compensation Claim
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Award Review
We review the Land Acquisition Officer's award and compare it against comparable sale exemplars in the vicinity.
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Reference Application
Where compensation is inadequate, we file a reference application before the District Court for enhanced compensation.
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Evidence of Comparable Sales
We build the evidentiary record of the highest bona fide comparable sale price, as required by Supreme Court precedent.
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Reference Court Hearing
We represent the landowner through the reference proceedings.
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Appeal
Where necessary, we appeal to the High Court and, on substantial questions, to the Supreme Court.
Illustrative Scenarios
The following are hypothetical, illustrative scenarios prepared for educational purposes. They are not descriptions of actual client matters, and no outcome is guaranteed in any specific case.
Illustrative Scenario
Farmer Seeking Enhanced Compensation for Acquired Land Near Greater Noida
A farmer's land near Greater Noida is acquired for an infrastructure project at a compensation rate the family believes undervalues the land compared to nearby sales. Building a record of the highest bona fide comparable sale exemplar in the vicinity — rather than accepting an averaged rate — is the key lever for securing enhanced compensation under current Supreme Court precedent.
Illustrative Scenario
Co-Heir Dispute Over Inherited Agricultural Land Near Kolkata
Following a family patriarch's death, one heir wants to sell their share of inherited agricultural land near Kolkata to an outside buyer. Other Class-I heirs have a preferential right under Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act to acquire that share themselves before it can be sold outside the family — a right that must be properly offered and either exercised or waived before a valid outside sale can proceed.
Illustrative Scenario
Agri-Processing Business Disputing Non-Payment Under a Produce Supply Contract
An agri-processing company in Uttar Pradesh supplies produce to a buyer who later disputes the quality and withholds payment without timely notice of rejection. A supply contract with clear quality-inspection and rejection-notice timelines gives the supplier strong grounds to recover payment where the buyer's rejection is raised too late to be credible.
Illustrative Scenario
Landowner Seeking Return of Agricultural Land Acquired but Never Developed
A landowner near Kolkata whose agricultural land was acquired over a decade ago for a public project that was never built seeks its return. Current Supreme Court jurisprudence supporting proportionate reversion of unutilised acquired land gives such claims a materially stronger footing than they had a decade ago.
Notable Judgments
Supreme Court — 2026 INSC 6982026
Mahinder & Others v. Puran Singh
Class-I Heirs Have a Preferential Right to Acquire Inherited Agricultural Land Before It Passes to Outsiders
The Supreme Court reinforced the legislative intent behind Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, confirming that where inherited agricultural land is to be transferred, Class-I heirs enjoy a preferential right to acquire it ahead of any sale to an outside purchaser, protecting family land holdings from fragmentation via third-party sale.
Key Takeaway — Purchasers of agricultural land from a co-heir must verify that the Section 22 preferential-purchase right has been properly offered to and waived by other Class-I heirs — failure to do so exposes the sale to challenge.
Supreme Court2025 – 2026
Land Acquisition Compensation & Reversion Jurisprudence
Unutilised Acquired Land Must Be Returned Proportionately — Eminent Domain Is Not an Indefinite Land Bank
Across a series of 2025–2026 rulings, the Supreme Court has held that the State's power of eminent domain must be exercised fairly and strictly for the stated public purpose, that compensation must reflect the highest bona fide comparable sale exemplar rather than a diluted averaging method, and that agricultural land acquired but left unutilised for a public purpose must, in appropriate cases, be returned proportionately to the original owners.
Key Takeaway — Farmers and landowners whose acquired land remains undeveloped years later have a strengthening line of Supreme Court authority to seek reversion or enhanced, exemplar-based compensation.
See all Legal Updates for this practice area →
Our Approach to Agricultural Industries
- Focused land acquisition experience — comparable-sale evidence building is central to securing enhanced compensation.
- Family succession expertise — handling the specific complexities of agricultural land inheritance disputes.
- Dual-region coverage — Delhi NCR's peri-urban agricultural belt and Kolkata's surrounding districts.
- Founders with 20 years combined experience across commercial litigation, arbitration and regulatory practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is land acquisition compensation calculated?
Compensation is based on the market value of the land, generally determined by reference to comparable sale transactions — the Supreme Court has held that the highest bona fide comparable sale exemplar, not an averaged rate, should ordinarily be applied.
What happens if acquired land is never used for its stated public purpose?
The Supreme Court has held that in appropriate cases, agricultural land acquired but left unutilised for a public purpose must be returned proportionately to the original owners rather than retained indefinitely.
Can I sell my share of inherited agricultural land to anyone I choose?
Not without first offering it to other Class-I heirs — Section 22 of the Hindu Succession Act gives them a preferential right to acquire the share before it can be sold to an outside purchaser.
Where do I file a claim for enhanced land acquisition compensation?
Through a reference application before the District Court (acting as the Reference Court) if you are dissatisfied with the Land Acquisition Officer's award, with further appeal available to the High Court.