In a significant ruling on September 5, the Allahabad High Court directed the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) to remove fences erected on the lands of local farmers in the context of a proposed international film city in Noida. This decision emerged from a legal challenge by Dharmendra Kumar and eight other farmers, who claimed that their land had been encircled without any formal acquisition or consent.
Justices Manoj Kumar Gupta and Manish Nigam, presiding over the case, stipulated that any fences placed by YEIDA around the petitioners’ land must be dismantled, provided that the land has not been legally acquired or sold by the farmers.
The controversy began when the Uttar Pradesh government announced plans through YEIDA in June 2024 to develop an International Film City in Sector 21, intending to span over 1000 acres. A public notice issued by YEIDA on August 25 invited landowners in the area to sell their properties for the project. However, the petitioner farmers expressed their refusal to sell their land and filed objections against YEIDA’s public notice.
Despite their objections, YEIDA proceeded to erect fences and signboards within the petitioners’ village, effectively barring them from accessing their own properties. This action prompted the farmers to seek legal intervention from the High Court, requesting not only the removal of the fences but also a judicial order to prevent YEIDA from disturbing their peaceful possession and agricultural activities on the land until a lawful acquisition is made.
