Vedanta’s land acquisition plan for university in Odisha overturned by SC
2 min read . Updated: 12 Apr 2023, 08:26 PM IST
Premium- The land acquisition proceedings undertaken by the Odisha government to purchase nearly 6000 acres of land for the projected Vedanta University were rejected by the Orissa High Court in 2010, and the Supreme Court affirmed that decision on Wednesday.
The land acquisition proceedings undertaken by the Odisha government to purchase nearly 6000 acres of land for the projected Vedanta University were rejected by the Orissa High Court in 2010, and the Supreme Court affirmed that decision on Wednesday. The Orissa High Court's 2010 ruling that the land purchase was unlawful was affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The petition brought forth by the Anil Agarwal Foundation was rejected by a panel consisting of Justices MR Shah and Krishna Murari and Anil Agarwal Foundation's petition of the High Court decision to annul the proceedings for breaking the terms of the Land Acquisition Act 1894 was denied by a panel of jurists.
Moreover, it was determined that the proceedings breached Sections 39, 40, and 41 of the Act of 1894 as well as Rules 3(2) and (4) of the Land Acquisition Regulations, 1963.
Vedanta demanded 15,000 acres of land from the Odisha government in 2006 in order to build a university in Puri, Odisha. The government of Odisha had sanctioned the purchase of 12,000 acres of land, with ownership of 3,837 acres being given.
The Supreme Court pointed out that, while it agreed with the High Court's conclusion, the disagreement, in this case, involved nearly 6000 acres of agricultural land that belonged to about 6000 families. However, the Supreme Court also criticised the project, claiming that it was only intended to benefit the company, in violation of Section 44B of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.
The court dismissed the appeals and ordered the Anil Agarwal Foundation to pay Rs. 5 lakhs in penalties to the Supreme Court Registrar within six weeks of today on behalf of Orissa State Legal Services Authority.
Indian commodities giant Vedanta Ltd., headed by billionaire Anil Agarwal, is in discussions to fund at least $1 billion with US-based Farallon Capital Management, according to Bloomberg.