SC adjourns hearing on Nandigram firing case

New Delhi, Jan 28: The Supreme Court today adjourned by six weeks the hearing on the petition filed by West Bengal government challenging the Kolkata High Court order, directing the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in police firing in Nandigram in March last year.

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justices Tarun Chatterjee and R V Raveendran adjourned the hearing as the service to the respondents was not complete. The farmers of Nandigram have been protesting against forcible acquisition of their land by the state government for setting up of SEZ (Special Economic Zones) by TATA's and about 1,000 acres of land is been acquired by the West Bengal government for handing over the same to the TATA's.

The CPM goons had reportedly forced the land owner to flee from Nandigram. Large number of people were killed in police firing and women were subjected to rape to curb the protestors.

Later, Left Front government in the state came under heavy fire from all quarters and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee assured the farmers of Nandigram that their land would not be acquired against their will.

UNI