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High Court Halts Punjab Land Pooling Policy Over Procedural Flaws

The bench halted the plan until September 10, giving the government a deadline to address missing impact assessments, formalize execution timelines, set up grievance mechanisms, allocate development funds

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HC notes that landowners, landless labourers, artisans, MGNREGA workers, etc, will be affected and there is no provision for their resettlement and rehabilitation under the land pooling policy. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Overview

  • The court granted a four-week interim stay on August 7 and scheduled the next hearing for September 10 to review the state’s response
  • Justices Anupinder Singh Grewal and Deepak Manchanda said the policy was notified in haste without mandatory Social and Environmental Impact Assessments
  • The order highlighted a lack of defined execution timelines, absence of grievance redressal procedures and no rehabilitation provisions for land-dependent labourers
  • Clause 6 of the scheme could trigger compulsory acquisition of non-pooled land under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act despite the government calling it voluntary
  • The state must also clarify budget allocations to finance development across more than 65,000 acres spanning 21 towns