The Allahabad High Court has refused to grant interim protection to the Congress party in a dispute involving the alleged unauthorized occupation of government-owned land in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district, ruling that prolonged possession does not grant legal authorization.
A division bench comprising Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai at the court’s Lucknow seat rejected the party’s application to stay eviction proceedings. The judges instructed the state respondents to submit a counter-affidavit within three weeks, granting the petitioner two weeks following that filing to submit a rejoinder. The court set the next hearing for October 1, 2026.
Eviction Order And Land Claims
The legal challenge was initiated by the Congress Committee, Sitapur, against an administrative order passed by the executive officer in charge of the Nagar Palika Parishad, Sitapur. The municipal order directed officials to strike the party’s name from local land records for Plot No. 244/1, located in the Tamsen Ganj area, and ordered the group to clear the property. The disputed site comprises the upper section of the local Ghanta Ghar.
During proceedings, representatives for the political organization argued that they had occupied the premises since 1971 and presented a receipt reflecting a Rs 320 rent payment made that year.
Lack Of Authorization And Court Rulings
State attorneys countered the petition by maintaining that the premises represent government Nazul land and that the political party’s presence constitutes illegal occupancy.
In its ruling, the court highlighted that the petitioners failed to provide any rent payments for the past 55 years following the single 1971 transaction. The bench further noted that the party could not produce an official allotment letter, agreement, or formal documentation proving lawful possession.
The court held that regardless of how many decades an occupation has endured, continuous use of government land remains legally invalid unless supported by valid documentation demonstrating initial lawful allotment.
