In a significant blow to the Punjab government’s contentious land pooling policy, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday ordered an interim stay on the implementation of the policy for four weeks, drawing sharp reactions from opposition parties who hailed it as a “historic win for Punjab’s farmers.”
The stay was granted on a petition filed by Gurdeep Singh Gill of Ludhiana, who challenged the Punjab Land Pooling Policy, 2025, as being unconstitutional and violative of fundamental rights. The matter is now scheduled for further hearing on September 10.
Gill’s counsel, Gurjeet Singh, told reporters that the court has allowed four weeks for the state government to file its reply. He alleged that the policy was introduced without conducting a mandatory Social Impact Assessment or Environmental Assessment, and termed the notification dated June 24 as “colourable legislation.”
Court Questions Rehabilitation, Legal Basis
During Wednesday’s proceedings, the court asked the state whether the policy provided for rehabilitation of landless labourers and if a social impact study was carried out before the notification. The petitioner argued that the state had no authority under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 to frame such a policy. Instead, only the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995 empowered the state in this regard.
The plea further alleged that no gram panchayat or gram sabha was consulted, a violation of the 2013 Act’s mandatory provisions. With no redressal mechanism in place, the petitioner said he was left with no legal remedy but to approach the court.
Govt: Policy is Voluntary, Not Land Acquisition
Representing the state, Additional Advocate General Jastej Singh defended the policy, asserting that it involves no land acquisition and is entirely voluntary.
“It is a scheme where landowners, whether owning two acres or four, can voluntarily contribute land for planned development. In return, they receive developed plots,” Singh told the court. He added that a Letter of Intent would be issued for these developed plots and denied any coercion by the government.
He noted that the government will decide its next course of action only after receiving the detailed court order.
Opposition Welcomes Stay, Demands Withdrawal
The interim stay triggered a political storm, with opposition parties terming it a legal and moral defeat for the AAP-led Punjab government.
Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, called the policy “deeply flawed and unconstitutional,” accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of acting at the behest of “Delhi-based corporate lobbies.” He demanded Mann’s resignation, alleging that Punjab’s fertile land was being “auctioned off to land sharks.”
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the farmers’ concerns had been vindicated and pledged to continue the fight through “all legal, legitimate and democratic means.”
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema also welcomed the court’s intervention, claiming that the policy is being pushed due to pressure from AAP’s central leadership despite widespread public opposition.
Background: The Land Pooling Policy, 2025 was notified by the Punjab government on June 24. The scheme aimed to promote planned urban development by pooling privately-owned land parcels, developing them with civic infrastructure, and redistributing them among original owners with reduced area but higher market value.
