Supreme Court reserves judgment on Ayodhya land acquisition plea

The Supreme Court of India has reserved its verdict on a petition filed by the Shri Saryu Nagar Vikas Samiti challenging land acquisitions in Ayodhya. The dispute centers on residential housing schemes managed by the Uttar Pradesh Awas Evam Vikas Parishad.

The petitioner argues that the state utilized the Uttar Pradesh Awas Evam Vikas Parishad Adhiniyam, 1965, rather than the more recent Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Samiti contends that the 2013 Act provides superior protections, including mandatory social impact assessments (SIA), higher compensation, and more robust rehabilitation and resettlement frameworks.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard arguments regarding whether landowners are entitled to the safeguards of the 2013 Act. While the court noted that social impact assessments should not be disregarded, it also cautioned that they should not become a “millstone around the neck” of the state government, emphasizing the need to balance landowner rights with the public interest of ongoing development projects.