Uttar Pradesh High Court Upholds Land Acquisition Provisions Amid Compensation Guidelines

High Court Ruling on Land Acquisition in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, August 7 - The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has validated the land acquisition provisions outlined in the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Council Act of 1965. However, the court mandated that landowners whose properties are acquired under this law must receive compensation and rehabilitation benefits that are at least equal to those provided under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013.

The court also rejected a plea to annul three residential schemes being developed in Ayodhya, stating that canceling them at this stage would disrupt the integrated development plan. The implementation of these projects has been ongoing since 2020, with significant government funds already invested.

A bench comprising Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjiv Shukla delivered a 173-page judgment while hearing several petitions, including a public interest litigation challenging the constitutional validity of Sections 28, 31, 32, and 55 of the 1965 Act, as well as the land acquisition for the three Ayodhya housing schemes.

The court upheld the validity of Sections 28, 31, and 32 of the law. However, it cautioned that if Section 55 and its schedule are enforced without adequate safeguards, it could violate Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law. The court instructed the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board to determine compensation in accordance with the 2013 Act.