Court issues notices to top Haryana officials

The court had summoned T C Gupta,Director,Town and Country Planning,Haryana,who was asked to explain the rationale. It had also summoned the entire case records pertaining to land acquired and released for development of residential and commercial Sectors 9 and 18 of Sonepat.

Coming down heavily on Gupta,the court observed that earlier,the official has tendered unconditional apologies but interfered in the administration of justice.

The development came during the resumed hearing of a petition of one Hari Om Prakash,a resident of Sonepat. In the petition filed in 2006,he had demanded release of his land,raising objections to the acquisition procedure adopted by the Haryana government.

A separate petition was filed the same year,challenging the acquisition of over 650 acres. Here,the petitioners had made out a case that private developers had entered into a collaboration with landowners and had purchased the land at throwaway prices.

The petitioners had contended that once a notification for acquisition of land has been issued,private builders managed to get their land released from the state.

Showing conviction in the contentions raised,the High Court,in March 2009,stayed the release of land to private builders and also put a stay on creation of third party rights. The Haryana government then moved Supreme Court,which put a stay on the interim orders.

When the petition,filed by Hari Om Prakash came for resumed hearing,the court reprimanded the official on basis of the records available on file and allegations of pick and choose policy.