Petitioners allege 'gross misuse' of Land Acquisition Act

New Delhi, May 21 (UNI) The Supreme Court has decided to examine the constitutional validity of Land Acquisition Act, 1884, which, according to the petitioner, is being misused to grab the farmers' land under the garb of public purpose, to give it to private builders, developers, big industrial houses, land mafias and land grabbers.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, issued notices to the Centre, all the states and union territories to explain whether the allegations made in the petition filed by the Karnataka Landless Farmers' Association and others have substance.

The petitioners have alleged that the Board of Approval Commitee, Union Ministry of Commerce, has so far approved 267 Special Economic Zones (SEZ), having land of 1,000 to 1,400 hectares in each SEZ, and so far 1,34,000 hectares of land has been forcibly acquired for Special Economic Zones.

Such a policy which amounts to 'developmental terrorism' is nothing but the gross misuse of that which was enacted by the Britishers during the pre-Independence days.

Mining rights have been granted by State Industrial Development Corporation over tribal lands to mafias and land grabbers against the will of farmers who are being forced to commit suicide after being deprived of their land which is the only source of their livelihood.

A large number of farmers have been killed in police action in recent times in places like Nandigram, Singur, Dadri in UP, Punjab, Haryana and other places during protests against forcible acquisition of their agricultural land under the draconian law. The farmers, who have been uprooted because of the setting up of SEZs in various parts of the country, have not being rehabilitated.

According to the petitioners , it is a conspiracy and a big racket running into thousands of crores of rupees as a result of which fertile land of the poor and hapless farmers are being grabbed in guise of public interest. There is a clear and unholy nexus between politicians in the power cutting across party lines, on the one hand, and big industrial houses like Tata and Reliance Industries, private builders, developers and land mafias, on the other.

The petitioners have prayed to the court to stay all the acquistions which have already being made as well as which are in the process of being made, till the final disposal of the present petition.

The petitioners have prayed to the apex court to declare the Land Acquisition Act as unconstitutional and null and void.

UNI