Illegal to claim rights on land already acquired by the government: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has opposed the trend of private individuals claiming rights again on land acquired by state governments for development activities. The court has assessed that returning the land to private individuals by the concerned government agencies that receive that land is tantamount to complicity in fraud.

Governments acquire land for public purposes using their sovereignty. The concerned government agencies receive that land for development activities. It should not be taken lightly.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar clarified that the acquisition process cannot be messed up in this way. The important verdict is in the dispute related to the land acquired by the government for the construction of a grain market in Delhi. The verdict will be decisive in cases related to land acquisition, including the development of national highways.

Delhi case, basis for the verdict

In 1963, the state government acquired 33 acres of land near Narela, Delhi, for the Agricultural Marketing Board to start a grain market. Compensation was granted in 1986. In the meantime, a woman came forward claiming ownership of part of the property. The then chairman of the Marketing Board entered into an agreement stipulating that half of the land would be returned to the woman and that she would be entitled to the compensation for the remaining half. The Supreme Court's verdict came after the board's legal battle against the agreement after the chairman died. It was also pointed out that such agreements are illegal.