HC push for quick disposal of cases

The petitioners have demanded the land acquisition carried out by using the urgency clause should be quashed. They also contended that these cases are similar to the ones pertaining to acquisitions by Noida and Greater Noida Authorities,which are currently being heard by a larger bench.

Hearing a bunch of petitions related to the same issue on Thursday,a division bench of Justices Amitava Lala and Sunil Hali said: “Keeping the question of referring the matter to the larger bench open,we direct the parties to exchange the affidavits within shortest possible time so that the matter can be heard and thereafter the court either dispose it of or place the matter before the larger bench in a similar manner.”

The court also said that with a large number of petitioners having already accepted compensation,there was no point in passing an interim order for protection of tenure holders’ interests.

However,when the petitioners pointed out that not all petitioners have taken compensation,the court said that in such case they may again approach the court if the state takes any further action with respect to the land acquisition.

During the hearing of the case,the state government argued that the petitions in the case of YEDA were not of the same nature as that of Noida and Greater Noida cases. It contended that people were approaching the court even though they had accepted the compensation without raising any questions.

The petitioners,however,contended that accepting compensation did not mean that they had foregone their right to demand quashing of the land acquisition. They further said that despite the land acquisition proceedings having been completed on paper,they were still in the possession of the same and were even cultivating it.

Some of the villages from where petitioners have approached the court against YEDA’s land acquisition are Bhatta-Parsaul,Chandanpur,Rampur Bangar and Reenaka in Greater Noida and Etmadpur in Agra.

The three-judge bench had on August 29 decided that the cases pertaining to YEDA will be heard separately.