The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday sought a detailed response from the Union and State governments regarding a petition challenging the land acquisition process for a 10-kilometre four-lane highway project. The petitioners have alleged that residential and commercial properties are being wrongly classified as agricultural land to reduce compensation payouts.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay directed the authorities to file their counters within four weeks.
The legal challenge centers on a specific stretch of a highway project connecting Ramnagar and Kashipur. The petitioners, led by Ramnagar resident Jagmohan Rawat and others, have moved the High Court to quash central government notifications issued in July 2024 and July 2025.
According to the plea, the acquisition process for the 10-kilometre stretch is fundamentally flawed due to a discrepancy between official records and the actual ground reality of the land in question.
The petitioners contended that the government notifications have erroneously categorized the land on both sides of the road as agricultural property. They argued that this classification is Factually incorrect, as the area is densely populated with numerous houses and active commercial establishments.
Key points raised in the petition include:
- Financial Loss: By classifying the land as agricultural, the government is assessing compensation at significantly lower rates than what is applicable for residential or commercial property.
- Impact on Livelihoods: The acquisition process has reportedly caused severe disruption to the livelihoods of local residents and business owners.
- Lack of Transparency: The plea further alleged a lack of clarity in the acquisition process, asserting that affected persons are not even fully aware of whose specific land parcels are being targeted for the project.
After hearing the initial arguments, the Bench led by Chief Justice Gupta noted the gravity of the allegations regarding the misclassification of land. The court has granted the Union of India and the State of Uttarakhand a period of four weeks to clarify their stance on the categorization and the compensation metrics being utilized for the project.
