The Supreme Court has declined to intervene in an Andhra Pradesh High Court order that quashed a criminal case involving Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Minister P. Narayana over alleged land pooling malpractices in Amaravati.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana, disposed of the petition, observing that the criminal proceedings had been driven by a political opponent rather than affected landowners. The bench stated that courtroom proceedings should not serve as a platform for political rivalries, while emphasizing that the court remains committed to safeguarding the legitimate rights of farmers. The apex court also clarified that its ruling would have no influence on other pending cases, which must be decided on their individual legal merits.
Legal Challenge And Judicial Observations
The appeal before the top court challenged a July 15 decision by the High Court at Amaravati. Senior Advocate Ranjit Kumar, representing petitioner Alla Rama Krishna Reddy, argued that extensive irregularities had taken place, impacting more than 25,000 farmers and roughly 30,000 acres of land. In response, the bench noted that no individual farmers had joined the litigation, leading to the disposal of Reddy’s petition.
The legal action originated from a complaint lodged by Reddy, then a member of the legislative assembly, regarding the land pooling initiative established under a 2016 state government order. Based on the complaint, the Crime Investigation Department registered a First Information Report under the Prevention of Corruption Act on March 12, 2021. The investigative agency subsequently named Naidu, Narayana, and other individuals as accused parties, invoking provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Assigned Lands Act, and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Prior to the final dismissal, the High Court had granted an interim stay on all proceedings following petitions filed by Naidu and Narayana seeking to quash the case.
Background Of Amaravati Land Pooling Scheme
The state government introduced the land pooling mechanism as a voluntary alternative to standard compulsory land acquisition, aimed at securing real estate for the development of the state capital, Amaravati. Under the terms of the project, agricultural landowners surrendered their property in return for developed residential and commercial plots within the future capital city.
In exchange for every acre of agricultural land surrendered, the policy entitled participating farmers to receive 1,000 square yards of residential land and 250 square yards of commercial land. Official records show that a total of 28,181 landowners across 25 villages contributed 35,215 acres of private agricultural land toward the capital construction project.
