SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Article Pause Article
judgment-img

2008 Supreme(P&H) 121

PUNJAB & HARYANA HIGH COURT
M.M.Kumar and T.P.S.Mann JJ.
Suraj Mal
Versus
State Of Haryana
Decided On : JANUARY 21, 2008

Headnote:

Land Acquisition Act - Notification - Quashing of notification under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 - The court dismissed the petition for quashing the notification dated 20.6.2005, notification dated 19.6.2006, and the notice dated 7.2.2007 under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The court found that the land of the petitioner had been acquired after due process, including the opportunity for the petitioner to file objections and a consideration of those objections by the government. The court also noted that the construction on the petitioner's land could not be adjusted in the planning and that similar petitions against the same notifications had been dismissed previously.

Fact of the Case:

The State of Haryana proposed to acquire land for public purposes, and the petitioner filed objections under Section 5A of the Act, claiming that the construction and area on his land should be excluded from acquisition. The petitioner's objections were not decided, and notifications under Section 6 of the Act were issued, leading to the petitioner filing a petition to quash the notifications.

Finding of the Court:

The court found the petition to be devoid of merit and dismissed it, noting that the land had been acquired after due process and that the construction on the petitioner's land could not be adjusted in the planning. The court also mentioned that similar petitions against the same notifications had been dismissed previously.

Issues: The issues included the validity of the notifications under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and the petitioner's claim for exclusion of the construction and area on his land from acquisition.

Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was based on the fact that the land had been acquired after following the due process, including the opportunity for the petitioner to file objections and a consideration of those objections by the government. The court also considered the inability to adjust the construction on the petitioner's land in the planning and the dismissal of similar petitions against the same notifications previously.

Final Decision: The petition was dismissed by the court.

Judgment

M.M.Kumar, J.

1. In this petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution the prayer made is for quashing the notification dated 20.6.2005 (Annexure P.4), notification dated 19.6.2006 (Annexure P.6) as well as the notice dated 7.2.2007 (Annexure P.7) under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for brevity the Act) being totally arbitrary, illegal and unjust.

2. Vide notification dated 20.6.2005 (Annexure P.4) the State of Haryana proposed to acquire land measuring 295.14 acres of land falling under Hadbast No. 75, Village Wazirabad, Tehsil and District Gurgaon and 162.40 acres of land falling under Hadbast No. 76, Village Haiderpur Viran, Tehsil and District Gurgaon for public purposes namely for the development and utilisation of land for residential, commercial, institutional and open spaces for Sector 52A, 53 and 54 at Gurgaon under the Haryana Urban Development Authority Act, 1977 by the Haryana Urban Development Authority. Objections, if any, were to be filed within 30 days. The petitioner filed detailed objections under Section 5A of the Act within time. It is averred that without deciding the objections and granting an opportunity of being heard, the respondents on 19.6.2006 issued notification (Annexure P.6) under Section 6 of the Act.

3. Learned Counsel for the petitioner has urged that although the notifications purports to acquire large chunk of land but the petitioners land measures only 1 Bigha 11 Biswas 1 Biswansi. The petitioner has constructed #28;A#29; Class pucca construction about 50 years back, on his share of land, which consists of 28 living rooms, 3 cattle sheds, one old tube well and one Gobar Gas Plant. There are more than 25 members in the family of the petitioner and he is one of the oldest inhabitant in the village. The petitioners forefathers has raised the construction by spending lifetime savings and therefore learned Counsel prays that these construction and area be excluded from acquisition. It is further asserted that despite objections having been filed under Section 5A of the Act, no orders have been passed thereon.

4. We have heard the learned Counsel for the parties.

5. The instant petition is devoid of merit and is thus liable to be dismissed. The land of the petitioner has been acquired after issuance of notification under Section 4 of the Act on 4.6.2005 and thereafter the petitioner was granted opportunity of hearing after he has filed objections in writing. Those objections alongwith the report of the Collector were sent to the Government and the recommendations of the Collector were accepted. It was on the consideration of the report that declaration under Section 6 of the Act was issued on 19.6.2006 which was published in the Haryana Government gazette and the substance of the declaration was published in the newspaper as is evident from the perusal of para 1 of the preliminary objection raised in the written statement. In respect of the issue of construction, respondent No. 1 had conceded that on the spot there was one house hearing 66 x 35, one room measuring 25 x 12, three rooms with verandah measuring 35 x 22 , two rooms measuring 22 x 12 and 115 huts on the land in dispute. The rest of the entire land was totally vacant at the time of issuing notification under Section 4 of the Act. The respondents have also expressed their inability to adjust the aforesaid construction in the planning and that the land has already been acquired as per demarcation plan submitted by the Planning Department. The issue of release of land has also been replied by the respondents and it has been stated in para 5 of the written statement that no pick and choose policy has been adopted for releasing the land. We have glanced the layout, Annexure P.2, which shows that the land belonging to the petitioner marked red is in the middle of the area and could not be adjusted in the planning. A glance at the photographs (Annexure P.3) shows that the construction of the petitioner is haphaza

Click Here to Read the rest of this document
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
whatsapp-icon Back to top