In Brief
The appellant's land in Jalgaon was reserved for a public purpose under a sanctioned Development Plan in 2002. In 2007, the appellant issued a purchase notice under Section 49 of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act, which was confirmed in December 2007. The authorities made an acquisition application in September 2008 but took no further action for years. The appellant sought release of the land from reservation. The Supreme Court held that while the authorities made the requisite application within the one-year deadline, inordinately long inaction thereafter (over 10 years) warranted release of the land under Article 142. The Court clarified that in future Section 49 cases, after 10 years from plan publication, a fresh purchase notice under Section 127 must be served to trigger lapsing provisions.
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