Return land to owners: HC tells Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad High Court today ordered that nearly 600 hectares of land, the acquisition of which by Uttar Pradesh government had been set aside in 2011, be returned to their owners by Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority within a month.

Failure to comply with the order will invite contempt charges against the Authority's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, the HC said.

Justice Ran Vijai Singh passed the order on a contempt petition filed by Pramod Kumar, a resident of Patwari village of Gautam Buddh Nagar district, who had moved the court with the submission that though the court had quashed the acquisition of 589 hectares of land falling in the village vide an order dated July 19, 2011, the Authority was not returning the same to respective owners.

The petitioner had further submitted that the aforesaid order was passed by the court on a writ petition of aggrieved farmers whose land was acquired by the then Mayawati government in the state and handed over to the Authority.

The state government thereafter challenged the order before the Supreme Court where its appeal was turned down.

Contending that the Authority was, despite court orders, not returning the land to their owners, the petitioner had sought initiation of contempt charges against the Chairman and CEO of the Authority.