Apex court sets aside Hooda govt’s move to drop land acquisition plan

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the former Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Haryana government’s decision in August 2007 to quash a 2004 notification involving the acquisition of 912 acres of land from Gurugram’s Manesar, Lakhnoula and Naurangpur villages to establish an industrial township.

Bringing a 10-year-old dispute between land owners and the government to an end, a bench of justices AK Goel and UU Lalit held the manner in which the authorities exercised its power as “mala fide”. It then upheld the acquisition, directing that the land be transferred to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the Haryana Industrial Development Corporation (HSIDC).

The verdict came on an appeal filed by land owners, who challenged a previous Punjab and Haryana HC judgment denying them relief in this regard.

According to the petitioners, the government had issued a notification for acquisition of their land on August 27, 2004. This spurred them to sell off their land to private builders at throwaway prices. However, on August 24, 2007, the government passed another order dropping the acquisition. This came two days before the date set for pronouncement of compensation. The CBI, has already filed a 163-page charge sheet against Hooda, officials and private promoters.

Taking a grim view of the matter, the top court asked the CBI to unearth the “unnatural gains” made by middlemen during this period. State and central authorities were also asked to probe such transactions, and deposit all the money recovered with the state government. The court also noted that the Haryana government has appointed a commission of enquiry – the Justice SN Dhingra panel – to probe certain facts concerning land acquisition in the Gurgaon Manesar Urban Complex, and the issue is currently before the HC. It asked the HC to dispose of the matter within two months.