SC refuses to stay land acquisition for RIL's Mumbai SEZ

05 June 2009

The Supreme Court today dismissed a petition filed by the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Group seeking a stay on the land acquisition process for its special economic zone in Raigarh, near Mumbai.

RIL had sought a stay on the order of the Bombay High Court that earlier refused to restrain the Maharashtra government from acquiring land for RILs' Mumbai SEZ.

A bench headed by Justice B Sudarshan Reddy dismissed the plea by Mumbai Special Economic Zone challenging the Bombay High Court interim order that refused to stay the process of land acquisition.

Senior counsel Shanti Bhushan, appearing for the MSEZ, sought a stay on the land acquisition proceedings initiated by notifications under sections 4 and 6 on the grounds that if the acquisition is not completed by 8 June, the entire process would lapse under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

A stay would have made the deadline redundant.

The Supreme Court, meanwhile, issued notice to the Maharashtra government on another plea by MSEZ seeking transfer of its petition pending before the Bombay High Court.