Noida land compensation probe: SIT questions 11 former officials, flags 20 exorbitant' payouts

A Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) probing alleged excess compensation payouts by the Noida Authority has examined 11 former officials and submitted its report to the Uttar Pradesh government, which has since placed it before the apex court, Times of India reported.

The state government informed the Supreme Court on Wednesday that one of the 12 officials under investigation has died, while the remaining 11 have been questioned. The SIT had conducted raids at the residences of former officials in January as part of its probe.

ADG Meerut Bhanu Bhaskar, one of the three members of the SIT constituted in August last year, said the questioning took place over several weeks. “We conducted this exercise for about three weeks and interrogated the officials concerned. We cannot share the details of the interrogation as the matter is sub judice. We have submitted the report to the state govt, which moved it to the Supreme Court,” he said.


The SIT was set up by the top court on January 23, 2025, to examine allegations of “excess payments” in land compensation. It framed four key issues: whether payouts exceeded court-mandated amounts; if so, which officials were responsible; whether there was collusion between beneficiaries and Noida Authority officials; and whether the Authority’s functioning lacked transparency, fairness and public interest.

In its findings, the SIT said enhanced compensation was paid in 1,198 cases—1,167 of them under court directions. However, in 20 cases, the payouts were found to be “exorbitant”, with specific officers identified in the report.

The panel recommended a deeper financial probe, including scrutiny of bank accounts of officials, their family members and beneficiary landowners, as well as assets acquired during the relevant period. It also called for retrieval and examination of records dating back more than a decade.

Among its structural recommendations, the SIT suggested the creation of a metropolitan corporation and the appointment of a chief vigilance officer on the lines of public sector undertakings.

Earlier, on August 13 last year, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had ordered the constitution of a fresh SIT comprising three IPS officers to investigate alleged collusion between certain landowners and Noida Authority officials that led to inflated compensation payouts. The court also directed a probe into former CEOs and senior officials of the Authority over the past 10–15 years.

The bench had further asked the UP chief secretary to place the matter before a competent authority and ensure the formation of a citizen advisory board for Noida within four weeks.

In December, the Supreme Court directed the SIT to expedite the investigation and complete the probe within two months.