In Brief
The Supreme Court dismissed appeals challenging a Kerala High Court decision that quarrying operations do not qualify as a 'commercial site' under the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963, and thus remain subject to land ceiling limits. The Court held that 'commercial site' refers to land with structures for industrial or commercial use, not vacant land used for extraction activities. The Court applied a narrow construction principle for exemptions in beneficial legislation aimed at distributing excess land to landless people. Breaking rocks into pieces was not deemed manufacturing since no new distinct product is created. The decision upholds land reform protections against circumvention through resource extraction activities."
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