Court Denies Interim Relief in Land Acquisition Case for Delhi-Katra Expressway Development
Date: June 2, 2023
In a recent court order on case number CWP-11921-2023, the court has denied interim relief to the petitioners in a land acquisition dispute related to the development of the Punjab Section of the Delhi-Katra Expressway, including green field connectivity to Amritsar. The hearing took place on June 2, 2023, and the judgment was delivered by Justices Lisa Gill and Ritu Tagore.
The petitioners, represented by Mr. C.S. Bagri, Advocate, argued that their residential houses and certain other structures were being demolished without receiving supplementary compensation awards. The counsel for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), represented by Mr. Chetan Mittal, Senior Advocate, provided information stating that only one residential house, belonging to Darshan Singh, had a portion falling within the alignment of the project, while the main structure was outside the alignment. The NHAI also claimed that supplementary awards had been passed for the boundary wall. Additionally, a table was presented in court showing that some petitioners had not made claims for certain structures, while awards had been passed for others in June/August 2022.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that they were not aware of any supplementary awards or compensation received for their structures and raised other objections challenging the acquisition itself. However, the court found no grounds to grant interim relief at this stage to halt the project.
The court, upon the request of the petitioners’ counsel, adjourned the case to July 10, 2023, for further proceedings.
Date: June 2, 2023
DARSHAN SINGH AND OTHERS VS UNION OF INDIA AND OTHERS
