Allahabad: A judge heading a bench specially
constituted for hearing scores of petitions challenging
acquisition of land in UP`s Gautam Buddh Nagar district on Wednesday
recused himself from the case.
Justice R K Agrawal, who was heading the bench which also
comprised justices Ashok Bhushan and V K Shukla, recused
himself when the matter came up for hearing this morning.
The matter has been, thereafter, referred back to the
Chief Justice for constituting a new bench.
A two-judge bench, which had been hearing the Noida land
acquisition matters, had on July 26 released all the petitions
from its jurisdiction with a request to the Chief Justice for
constituting a larger bench.
Acquisition of more than 3000 acres of land, spread
across nearly a dozen villages of Gautam Buddh Nagar district
has been challenged by hundreds of farmers whose main
contention is that land was acquired by invoking "urgency
clause" of the Land Acquisition Act which had deprived them of
an opportunity of raising objections and thereby negotiating
for adequate compensation.
The farmers have also taken exception to the fact that
land was acquired by the state government in the name of
"planned industrial development" of the area but was later
given away to builders for constructing residential complexes.
Among the petitioners include farmers from Badalpur, the
ancestral village of UP Chief Minister Mayawati.
Besides, some other farmers, whose land had been acquired
more than 30 years ago and has been lying in disuse since then
have also moved the court.
Thousands of people, who have invested in the housing
complex projects in the area, have also moved the court with
the plea that they be made a party in the case.
Similar applications have also been moved by builders
involved in the aforesaid projects.
PTI
