People's Democracy

(Weekly Organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)

Vol. XXVII

No. 06

 February 09, 2003


Why No Part Of The Land Can Be Handed Over

The very purpose of acquiring the land, in the words of the Supreme Court judgement as reported in (1994) 6 SCC Page 360, in Para 49, is as follows:

“…….The justification given for the acquisition of the larger area including the property respecting which title is not disputed, is that the same is necessary to ensure that the final outcome of adjudication should not be rendered meaningless by the existence of properties belonging to Hindus in the vicinity of the disputed structure, in case the Muslims are found entitled to the disputed site. This obviously means that in the event of the Muslims succeeding in the adjudication of the dispute requiring the structure to be handed over to the Muslim community, their success should not be thwarted by denial of proper access to, and enjoyment of rights in, the disputed area by exercise of rights of ownership of Hindu owners of the adjacent properties….”

Para 96 of the same judgement makes it clear that the vesting of rights of land adjacent to the disputed site in the hands of  the government of India is absolute, and nothing can be done about it, till the dispute is finally settled.