Karnataka to Submit Bidadi Township Land Award to High Court Before Enforcement

The Karnataka State government on Tuesday gave an undertaking to the High Court of Karnataka that it would place the land acquisition award for the proposed Bidadi Integrated Township Project before the court prior to enforcing it.

Appearing before Justice R. Nataraj, who is presiding over a batch of petitions filed by farmers challenging the legality of the land acquisition, Advocate General K. Shashi Kiran Shetty confirmed that the government would submit the acquisition award pursuant to the impugned final notification. This submission followed an earlier assurance from the state that landowners would not be dispossessed of their properties before the formal passing of the award.

The undertaking was presented after legal counsel representing the landowners urged the court to stay the acquisition proceedings. The petitioners raised concerns that the administration might attempt to dispossess them of their land immediately following the issuance of the award, despite ongoing legal proceedings challenging the validity of the process.

Advocates for the petitioners argued that passing the award itself would be invalid if the court upheld their challenge against the state's decision to bypass mandatory statutory requirements. Specifically, they questioned the government's action of granting an exemption from conducting a mandatory Social Impact Assessment (SIA) required under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The petitions alleged that the government used procedural maneuvers to circumvent key safeguards in the 2013 land acquisition law, including the SIA, landowner consent, and required rehabilitation measures. According to the petitioners, the state initially designated the rural tracts as a "Local Planning Area" under the Town and Country Planning Act before redesignating them as an "Urban Area" under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (KUDA) Act, primarily to conduct the acquisition under the KUDA framework.

After recording the Advocate General's undertaking, the High Court adjourned further hearings in the matter to September 29.