The Punjab and Haryana High Court stopped the Punjab Government’s July 9 notification on acquiring 23.29 acres in Mohali villages for Omaxe New Chandigarh Developers. The order came from Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Lapita Banerji. The case will be heard again on September 18.
The petition was filed by Satnam Singh and others. Their lawyers Ashwani Kumar Chopra and Akshit Chaudhary argued that the government issued the notification directly for a private company. They said this action broke the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
The law clearly states that if land is taken for private firms, consent from at least 80% of affected families is required. It also demands a social impact study at the same time as the consent process. The petitioners said the government ignored both steps.
The court issued a notice to the Punjab Government. Additional Advocate-General Maninder Singh and advocate Tejeshwar Singh accepted it and asked for time to respond. Until then, the judges ordered that the notification remain on hold.
