The Allahabad high court on Monday set aside the Uttar Pradesh government’s acquisition of 170 hectares of land for industrial development at Gulistan village in Greater Noida. The quashing of the move, seen as another blow to
Ms Mayawati’s BSP government’s land acquisition plans in UP, came after landowners and farmers filed a petition challenging the state government notification. A division bench comprising Justices Sunil Ambwani and Kashi Nath Pandey passed the order.
The notification for the land acquisition was issued on September 5, 2007 under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, depriving the aggrieved persons of filing objections on the ground that the matter was urgent. The declaration of the acquisition was made on February 27, 2008.
The court rejected the state government’s argument that the acquisition was an urgent necessity. The judges said the landowners should have been granted a chance for a hearing by filing objections.
This is the third land acquisition that has been set aside in Noida by the Allahabad high court. The high court on May 12 and May 15 had quashed acquisition of more than 170 hectares in Gautam Buddha Nagar distric