In Brief
The Union of India acquired land at Kanpur Nagar to establish an ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) Battalion Headquarters under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, invoking the urgency clause to dispense with the mandatory public enquiry. Landowners challenged this in the High Court, which held the urgency clause was invalidly invoked. The Supreme Court reversed the High Court's judgment. It found genuine urgency existed: the land was needed for Counter-Insurgency Operations and security duties, required identification of 72-75 acres at suitable locations, and notifications were issued only three months apart. The Court held that acquisitions for public security purposes warrant different consideration than private commercial acquisitions, and the statutory compensation deposits had been made and offered to landowners.
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