The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 of British India still directs and controls
the acquisition of private land for a public purpose in South Asia. Its
origins go back to the 1824 Regulation I of the Bengal Code, approved
by the colonial authorities to enable the acquisition of land at fair value for
roads, canals, or other public purposes and to secure land for the purpose
of salt manufacture (Gupta 2012). It sets the legal framework and detailed
procedures, and is backed by a large volume of case law. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka adopted the key legal principles and processes of the Land Acquisition Act in enacting their own land acquisition and compensation laws. Through its close association with India, Nepal, although not part of the former British Empire, also adopted the principles and procedures of the act as its own land acquisition and compensation legislation