SC admits petitions against acquisition of land for SEZs

The Supreme Court on Monday admitted a batch of petitions challenging the land acquisitions for setting up special economic zones (SEZs) in various parts of the country.

The apex court will hear together at least 18 petitions that could change the contours of SEZ policy and even require a change to the SEZ Act, 2005.

Leading the batch is one petition against Mumbai Special Economic Zone Ltd (MSEZ), promoted by Mukesh Ambani and his business associate Anand Jain. The outcome of the petitions could set a precedent for SEZ projects, irrespective of which way the court?s decision goes.

Some of the other big names involved in these petitions are Haryana Janhit Congress leader Kuldip Bishnoi and Ajay Singh Chautala which have raised questions about the acquisition of farmland for SEZs in Haryana.

The apex court on December 5, 2006 had sought replies on a PIL filed by Bishnoi alleging that the proposals to set up 60-odd SEZs, including acquisition of 25,000 acres of land by Haryana government in favour the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries in the National Capital Region, were illegal.

With the PIL, the court will also hear the plea against acquisition of 2,100 acres of land for setting up a thermal power station by Anil Ambani Group company Reliance Energy in Uttar Pradesh at the cost of Rs 10,000 crore.

Another petition filed by Noida Global SEZ Pvt Ltd and Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Energy Ltd seeking transfer of a petition filed by Sohan Pal Sharma challenging acquisition of land by the company for setting up of a SEZ in Noida, Uttar Pradesh will be also heard.

Some of the cases challenge specific SEZ projects while others, such as the public interest litigation against MSEZ by half a dozen farmers from Raigad district and led by the Maha Mumbai Shetkari Sangharsh Samiti (MMSSS), a regional farmers? activist group, question the constitutional validity of the SEZ Act itself. The apex court in 2008 had transferred these cases to itself from across various state high courts to be able to hear the issue in its entirety.