Bhubaneswar: In a new turn to the ongoing
Vedanta University controversy, Orissa government on Wednesday filed
a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court
challenging the judgement of the state high court.
"I wish to inform this august House that, today, the state
government has filed a special leave petition in the Supreme
Court against the judgement pronounced by the High Court of
Orissa," Revenue minister S N Patro said in the Assembly.
The SLP was filed in the matter of land acquisition for
Anil Agarwal Foundation in Puri district, he said.
"The state government has moved the apex court after
consulting the law department and the advocate general," Patro
told reporters outside the Assembly.
Though the Orissa High Court in its November 16 judgement
had quashed the state government's land acquisition process
for the Rs 15,000 crore Vedanta University project terming it
as "not valid", Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while replying
to an adjournment motion on November 25 had claimed that the
administration had not taken any wrong step in this regard.
While quashing land acquisition for AAF, the HC also asked
the government to return state government land leased to the
company besides directing it to restore possession of acquired
land to the owners.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 22:15