Over 500 residents of a prime plot spread across several acres in Jaipur were dispossessed on Monday after the Supreme Court refused to stay an order of the Rajasthan High Court to demolish the properties belonging to the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).
The land, owned by two persons Chotu Ram and Ramdas, was in litigation since year 1984 after the State land owning agency JDA asserted its ownership. After several rounds of litigation, once leading up even to the Supreme Court in 2002, the matter came to a close on February 26 this year when the Rajasthan High Court dismissed the claim of the two owners paving way for the demolition and subsequent acquisition by the State Government.
With the Apex court on vacation, a special sitting was arranged on Monday with a bench of Justices JS Khehar and Dipak Misra to hear the matter as the land in question had residences, shops, and farmhouses rented for marriage parties.
The JDA laid claim on the land under the Urban land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976. Under this Act, proceedings were initiated by JDA to acquire the property held by the two owners since 1967. The land was roughly 37 bighas (about 23 acres) and had seven marriage gardens. The land was strategically located which according to the present revenue records was worth Rs 1,500 crore. This could possibly be the reason that the JDA did not lose time after the HC order to paste demolition notice on the petitioners’ property within 24 hours threatening eviction by force on March 1.
Senior advocate Paras Kuhad approached the Apex court seeking urgent intervention as according to him the case required a re-look particularly since the Urban land Ceiling Act was repealed in 1999.