India, March 25 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to review its earlier ruling granting solatium and interest to landowners retrospectively under the National Highways Act, even as it issued crucial clarifications and a cut-off date to balance landowners' rights with the principle of finality in litigation.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan upheld its 2019 judgment as well as its February 4, 2025, order, declining to revisit the core finding that landowners are entitled to solatium and interest despite acquisitions being carried out under the special regime of the National Highways Act, 1956.

"The grant of solatium and interest cannot be made contingent upon the magnitude of the ...