Calcutta High Court does not pass interim order on Tata petition

Justice Soumitra Pal, observing that the Advocate General Anindya Mitra has submitted that adequate police were deployed to maintain peace and for protection of the property, directed that no order was being passed.

Tata Motors' counsel Samaraditya Pal prayed that possession of the 645 acre that was leased to it by the state government be frozen and the government be restrained till its challenge of the Act was decided by the court.

Mitra, however, submitted the land was the government's property for which adequate security arrangements have been made.

Tata Motors Ltd moved the petition before the court of Justice Pal pleading that the Act and all its consequences be declared unconstitutional, illegal, bad in law and void.
It was also prayed for an injunction restraining West Bengal government from acting in terms of the Act and interfere with the possession of the land.

Tata Motors also asked the court to stay the operation of the Act and restore status quo ante as on June 20.

The Act was notified last evening and government took over the land. Earlier in the day, the court refused to hear ex-parte a petition by Tata Motors challenging the Act.
Justice Pal directed Tata Motors counsel Samaraditya Pal to serve a notice to the state government.

When the matter was taken up for hearing again at 1:00pm in the presence of the Advocate General and other senior state counsels, Pal submitted Tata Motors had come to the state on an invitation by West Bengal government and assurance of matching financial incentives offered by other states competing to get the Nano car plant.
However, an agitation and blockade started at the time of rolling out the car following completion of trial runs at the Singur plant which was almost ready, Pal submitted.
He claimed Tata Motors became a victim of lawlessness and despite investing more than Rs 1,800 crore, it had to move out.

Submitting that the state government at that point of time in 2007 was not able to maintain law and order and as the company could not keep its schedule of rolling out Nano, the world's lowest priced car, Pal said it had to take the unfortunate step of relocating the plant to Gujarat.

He said the company had been forced to take such a decision as the then government had failed to maintain law and order.