In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed multiple appeals by landowners challenging the acquisition of their land in Ghaziabad for residential development by the Development Authority. The Court held that the invocation of the urgency clause under the Land Acquisition Act was unjustified, as the sole ground relied upon—preventing unauthorized construction—relates to law and order matters within the Authority's control and does not warrant dispensing with mandatory public inquiry. However, despite finding the acquisition legally defective, the Court creatively moulded relief: rather than ordering return of land (which would jeopardize completed housing projects), it allowed the Authority to retain all acquired land, treating the appellants' land as subject to a fresh acquisition from the judgment date, with compensation to be determined under the 2013 fair compensation law.
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