India, Feb. 25 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday said encroachers of railway land in Haldwani in Uttarakhand do not have a vested legal right to be there, indicating that over 5,000 families will have to vacate the disputed land for the proposed expansion project. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the dispute over the land has traversed different courts and observed that the stalemate over encroached railway land cannot be allowed to continue endlessly.

The Bench directed the Centre and the State authorities to ascertain the eligibility of families residing in the area for Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY). The top court directed the Nainital Collector, Haldwani sub-division officer and other offic...