SC to Tata Motors: reply in 2 weeks

Issuing a directive in this regard, a Bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran posted the matter for further hearing on May 13. Fali S Nariman, senior advocate, appearing for Tata Motors, urged the court not to take up the matter and pass any directions without hearing its plea. “The company has already incurred an expenditure of Rs 700 crore on the project,” stated the application for impleadment filed last week.

The company on January 10 had unveiled its 623-cc Nano, the country's cheapest car, which it proposes to sell from later this year for as low as Rs one lakh.

The appeal filed by advocate Kedar Nath Yadav challenging the ruling of the Calcutta High Court was filed in the second week of April. According to him, “most of the Singur land is used for agricultural purposes and is key to the livelihood of farmers.”

“There are also some dwellings on the land, but due to the highly arbitrary actions of the West Bengal Government, the land has been acquired in the name of public purpose without any specific plan to rehabilitate the farmers and their families,” the petitioner had contended.

The Calcutta High Court had on January 18 upheld the validity of the acquisition of 997.11 acres of land at Singur for the project, while dismissing a batch of petitions, including that of Yadav, which had challenged land acquisition for the said project. The land acquisition was illegal as it didn't adhere to the relevant provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and other rules, said Yadav's advocate Santi Ranjan Das.