The appellant Ushabati Patel (widow of Minaketan) challenged two awards made by the Civil Judge (Senior Division), Sundargarh in LA Reference Cases arising from land acquisition proceedings under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, relating to lands in Mouza Lankahuda acquired for an Ultra Mega Power Project. The core dispute was not about the quantum of compensation (totalling over Rs. 11 crore across both cases) but about whether Respondents No. 1 and 2 (Champabati and Saraswati) were entitled to a share, the appellant denying that they were daughters of Karunakar and thus co-sharers. The Referral Court had found that Champabati and Saraswati were indeed daughters of Karunakar and awarded them 1/12th share each of the compensation, with Prasanna and Minaketan's branch receiving 5/12th share each, and Respondent No. 8 receiving compensation for his separately purchased area. The High Court attempted mediation through the District Legal Services Authority, Sundargarh under 'Mediation for Nation 2.0', but it was reported as a non-starter, and the matter proceeded to final hearing before Justice Mruganka Sekhar Sahoo.