Quick Summary: A legal battle took place in Bombay High Court between Vikrant Happy Homes and the government regarding land payment for a highway project in Nashik. The main issue was whether a multiplier of 1.00 or 2.00 should be used, which would change the amount of money given to landowners.
On February 2, 2026, the Bombay High Court, with Judges Manish Pitale and Shreeram V. Shirsat, made a decision in a case involving Vikrant Happy Homes Private Limited. The argument was about taking land for the Surat-Nashik-Ahmednagar Greenfield National Highway in Nashik.
The main question was about the number used to figure out how much money landowners should get. The Central Government set this number at 2.00, while the State Government said it should be 1.00. This difference would change how much money landowners in rural areas would receive.
Vikrant Happy Homes, represented by Mr. Pralhad Paranjape, argued that the Central Government's decision should be followed. They said the State Government couldn't change the multiplier for national projects.
"The right authority for national highways is the Central Government," argued Mr. Paranjape.
The State authorities defended their decision, saying it would cost too much if a 2.00 multiplier was used. They suggested that the petitioners could look for other solutions if they were unhappy.
The court decided in favor of Vikrant Happy Homes, saying that only the Central Government had the right to make decisions about national highway projects. The State Government's announcements were found to be against the law.
