Challenging the order of the Member, Board of Revenue, Odisha cancelling the settlement of land in favour of one Sk Abdul Daud, the Jindal Stainless ltd (JSl) being a subsequent purchaser of the same land has approached the Odisha High Court through a writ petition.
A Division Bench comprising of court comprising Justices Pradip K Mohanty and Biswajit Mohanty heard the petition on Wednesday.
Arguing for the JSl, advocate Aditya Das submitted that the revisional order passed by the Member, Board of Revenue was in violation of the Orissa Estate Abolition Act and denied the petitioners the right to file any objection and hearing.
He also prayed for status quo to be maintained pending disposal of the petition as the JSl had made its guesthouse and administrative office block on the said land in Manpur, Jajpur and any dispossession would prejudice the company.
Advocate Das also submitted that there was no order of cancellation by any State authority at the time of purchase of the land by Jindals and, therefore, the order of the Member,
Board of Revenue without any opportunity of hearing was liable to be quashed. The State represented by Additional Government Advocate Mishra sought for time to seek instructions.
Entertaining the petition, the Judges were pleased to issue notice to the parties and directed the opposite party, the Jajpur district authorities, to maintain status quo on the land and directed the State counsel to produce the lower court records for the perusal of the High Court.