Special courts at dist level to try land acquisition disputes

Cases have to be disposed of in 6 months under new Act

 The government has planned to set up district-level authorities to dispose of disputes pertaining to land acquisition.

An order in this regard was issued on January 10, under Section 64 of the land acquisition Act, 2013. The first additional district and sessions judge will be the presiding officers. The additional district and sessions judge will be the presiding officer wherever there is no first additional district and sessions judge. An official order declaring the formation of the land acquisition, rehabilitation and reconstruction authorities will be issued on January 26.

The government had set up such authorities, one each in the four revenue divisions of Bengaluru, Mysuru, Belagavi and Kalaburagi on May 11, 2016. But given that landlosers had difficulties in terms of the expenses and time involved in travelling to the authorities, the government has now decided to set up district-level authorities.

Shivayogi Kalasad, commissioner of the state land acquisition, rehabilitation and reconstruction authority, told DH that ín one instance, a landloser had to travel 200 km from his native place in Indi taluk of Vijayapura district for the disposal of his case to the authority in Belagavi.

Under the new land acquisition Act, disputes have to be disposed of in six months. Hence, the authorities have been given the status of special courts. The authorities will function on the lines of the family courts and consumer forums, Kalasad said.

The authorities will be set up on the premises of the respective district court complexes. The revenue department will provide the infrastructure and appoint the necessary staff, he said.

Separate judges may be appointed to the authorities in the districts of Vijayapura and Bagalkot, ín the limits of the Upper Krishna project given the huge number of land acquisition cases there. The matter would be brought to the notice of the chief justice of the high court, Kalasad said.

The land acquisition Act, legislated in 1894 by the British, was first amended in 1984. A comprehensive land acquisition Act was brought into force in 2013. Under the earlier Acts, it took eight to 10 years for disputes to be resolved. The government had to shell out huge sums in terms of the interest and compound interest on the compensation amount. The affected too had to make numerous trips to the court, the officer said.