SC upholds High Court orders against land acquisition in NOIDA

Indian Supreme CourtThe Apex Court Division Bench of Justice GS Singhvi and Justice AK Ganguly on Wednesday upheld the Allahabad High Court order quashing the acquisition of over 156 hectares of agricultural land from farmers and handing it over to private builders in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

The bench observed that that the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) had allotted the land in complete violation of for which the land was originally acquired. The Bench observed that the High Court order on the matter does not require any interference which had held that the urgency clause invoked by the authority for acquisition of the land as colourable exercise of power.

The Bench also imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on the GNIDA for undertaking an exercise for against the prescribed rules. The order of the Apex Court came in response to a special leave petition filed by GNIDA, Supertech, Amrapali and others challenging a High Court order quashing the land acquisition notification in 156 hectares agricultural land in Greater Noida.

The Greater Noida Authority had taken physical possession of the farmers’ land and had deposited the compensation in the district treasury to be given to farmers whose land was acquired. The land was acquired from the farmers at the rate of Rs. 850 per square meter and for the purpose of industrial development. But later the authority changed the scheme and decided to allot the land for building of shopping complexes and malls. The land was thus allotted to the real estate developers like Amrapali and Super tech, at the rate of Rs. 10000 per square meter who began construction on the acquired land ; the reports said.

SC upholds High Court orders against land acquisition in NOIDA

Report by: Kushal Kumar