Introduction

• The judgment deals with a batch of civil appeals arising from land acquisition proceedings initiated by the State of Uttar Pradesh and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
• The dispute concerns invoking the urgency clause under Sections 17(1) and 17(4) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 for planned development in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Brief Facts

1. Notification and Purpose:

   • A notification under Section 4 was issued on February 26, 2009, followed by one under Section 6 on February 19, 2010, acquiring lands for planned development alongside the Yamuna Expressway.
   • The urgency clause was invoked to bypass objections under Section 5-A.

2. Litigation History:

   • Landowners challenged the acquisition on grounds of arbitrariness and misuse of urgency provisions.
   • Conflicting rulings by the Allahabad High Court:
     • Kamal Sharma v. State of U.P. upheld the acquisition.
     • Shyoraj Singh v. State of U.P. quashed it.

Key Legal Issues

1. Validity of invoking urgency provisions:

   • Whether the urgency clause was justified under Sections 17(1) and 17(4), bypassing the procedural safeguard of Section 5-A.

2. Consistency with precedents:

   • Whether the Kamal Sharma decision aligns with Supreme Court rulings like Nand Kishore Gupta and Radhy Shyam.

3. Nature of the Project:

   • Whether the acquisition is part of an integrated development plan tied to the Yamuna Expressway.

Findings of the Court

Integrated Development Justification

• The acquisition was part of a broader integrated development plan, not limited to constructing the Yamuna Expressway but also including industrial, residential, and recreational areas.
• This complements the larger public purpose, as held in Nand Kishore Gupta.

Application of Urgency Clause

• The invocation of Sections 17(1) and 17(4) was upheld, considering:
  1. The scale and significance of the project.
  2. Risk of delays affecting public interest.
  3. Justification in the government's administrative records.

Overruling Shyoraj Singh

• Shyoraj Singh was deemed per incuriam for ignoring prior authoritative rulings and failing to recognize the integrated nature of the project.
• Kamal Sharma, on the other hand, was consistent with precedent and correctly addressed the material facts.

Compensation

• The court upheld the enhanced compensation of 64.7% awarded by the High Court in Kamal Sharma as equitable and sufficient.

Acts and Sections Discussed

• Land Acquisition Act, 1894:
  • Section 4: Preliminary notification.
  • Section 5-A: Objection procedure.
  • Section 6: Declaration of intended acquisition.
  • Section 17(1) and 17(4): Special powers in cases of urgency.

Ratio Decidendi:

1. Urgency clause application:

   • Invocation of urgency must be supported by sufficient material justifying the need to bypass objections under Section 5-A. In large-scale public projects like the Yamuna Expressway, this is permissible.

2. Integrated development as public purpose:

   • Public purpose extends to integrated developments, encompassing infrastructure, residential, and industrial zones.

3. Judicial discipline:

   • A coordinate bench must respect established precedents or refer conflicting views to a larger bench.

Conclusion

• The appeals by landowners were dismissed.
• Appeals by YEIDA were allowed, upholding the acquisition and compensatory provisions.

Subjects:

• Land Acquisition
• Urgency Clause
• Public Purpose
• Judicial Discipline
• Compensation Enhancement