Ranchi, July 23 -- The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed a writ petition challenging the acquisition of land for the Pathardih Coal Washery in Dhanbad, holding that the acquisition proceedings were completed after following due process and that compensation had been paid to the landowners.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi rejected the petition filed by the legal heirs of the original landowners, who had sought return of the land on the ground that it was either lying unused or had been proposed to be handed over to a private company.
The court held that the land had been acquired in 1960-61 after following the procedure under Sections 4 and 5-A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and that the petitioners had admittedly received compensation....