Karnataka high court bins land acquisition processfor Isro expansion at Devanahalli | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court has quashed the proceedings for land acquisition in Devanahalli taluk, Bengaluru Rural district. The lands at Abbachikkanahalli and Lalagondanahalli villages are part of 81 acres and 39 guntas, sought to be acquired by the state govt for the expansion of Isro.The acquisition process began with a preliminary notification on Jan 28, 2010, followed by a final notification on May 30, 2011 and an award dated July 19, 2013. The landowners challenged the proceedings, citing that the final notification exceeded the one-year statutory limit from the preliminary notification. They also contested that a proper inquiry was not conducted despite their objections.The petitioners highlighted that the award was not issued within two years of the final notification. Both the state govt and Isro defended their position, asserting that all procedures followed legal requirements.Justice SR Krishna Kumar found that the final notification failed to meet the one-year deadline from the date of publication of the preliminary one. The judge noted that the final notification violated provisions of the Land Acquisition Act by not conducting a proper inquiry or providing valid justification. The court also observed several discrepancies in the award documentation.Justice Krishna Kumar pointed out that in the earlier proceedings pertaining to the same acquisition, the state and Isro had confirmed the award date as July 19, 2013, yet there was a handwritten date of June 10, 2013, in the records. The original records lacked supporting evidence for the June 10, 2013, date, and award notices were issued to landowners only after Nov 15, 2014. The respondents failed to provide substantial evidence proving the award was passed on June 10, 2011, the judge observed while quashing the acquisition proceedings for the lands belonging to the petitioners.
