States taking advantage of colonial law on land acquisition:SC

New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) Questioning the building of
hotels, malls and commercial complexes on land acquired for
"public purpose", the Supreme Court of India Tuesday slammed
governments for invoking provisions of "colonial law" to
divest farmers of their prime agricultural land and giving it
to builders.
A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly also
criticised the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh Government
over land use in Greater Noida and refused to lift the stay
the Allahabad High Court order quashing the notifications for
land acquisition in the area adjoining the national capital.
"Do you think judges live in fools' paradise?" snapped
the bench when senior advocate P P Rao responded to a question
that the residential complexes were being developed for the
"needy".
"You are building hotels, malls, commercial complexes,
townships where common men have no access. Does it come under
the perception of public purpose for which the land have been
acquired?" it asked.
The apex court said a "sinister campaign" has been
launched by various state governments to take advantage of
the law against the poor people for taking away the land and
giving it to builders where multiplexes, malls, posh
residential complexes are developed which are beyond the reach
of common men.
"The state is taking advantage of the colonial law.
What you are giving to the common men is pittance," the bench
said.
The bench questioned the change by Uttar Pradesh
government in land use in Greater Noida and said "this is not
the plan for which the land is acquired. How different
notifications came out for changing the use of land".