Calcutta HC rules Singur land acquisition legal

Kolkata, Jan 18: Calcutta High Court today ruled that the land acquisition by the West Bengal government for the Tata Motors small car project in Singur was not illegal.

A two-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice S S Nijjar and Justice P K Ghosh, rejected all 11 petitions challenging the land acquisition in Singur by the state government for the Tata Motors small car project - the Nano - which is expected to come out on the roads by September this year. The state government acquired nearly 1,000 acres of agricultural land in Singur about a year ago, triggering widespread protests from different quarters.

Human rights watchgroups, farmers and lawyers moved the petitions before the court challenging the land acqusition.

The bench took several weeks to hear the petitions and the hearing was concluded in September last year.

UNI