SC upholds acquisition of land for BIA access road

SC upholds acquisition of land for BIA access road

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has upheld the Karnataka government’s acquisition of land in Kannamangal village for construction of an access road to Bengaluru International Airport.
“Though the rights of an individual whose property is sought to be acquired must be respected, acquisition for the benefit of the public is not to be lightly quashed and extraordinary reasons must exist for doing so,” a Bench of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H S Bedi observed.
Courts should keep public interest in mind while granting stay or injunction, the Bench said, citing an earlier observation.
The apex court said as the authorities had adopted proper procedures for acquiring the land for the airport, it would not be proper to quash the acquisition.
The Bench passed the judgment while quashing an appeal filed by real estate developers M/S Girias Investment Pvt Ltd and others challenging the acquisition.
The appellants claimed the land was being acquired by the government despite alternative locations for laying the approach road and construction of a trumpet interchange on NH-7. However, the SC found that the acquisition was made after granting sufficient opportunities of hearing to land holders as stipulated under the Karnataka Land Acquisition Act. AGENCIES