The Supreme Court will hear next week the Mukesh Ambani-promoted Mumbai SEZ's transfer petition related to land acquisition for its project in Raigad in Maharashtra.
Mumbai SEZ (MSEZ) has sought transfer of its petition pending before the Bombay High Court to the apex court, which is hearing petitions from all over the country challenging land acquisition for such projects.
A Bench headed by Justice B N Agarwal deferred the hearing and directed the company to file a rejoinder to the Maharashtra government's position opposing the plea saying that MSEZ's contentions were different from the petitions pending before the apex court.
The apex court in June had issued notice to the state government after MSEZ sought transfer of its petition.
Earlier, a Supreme Court Vacation Bench had dismissed the Ambani firm's another plea challenging the High Court interim order that refused to stay the process of land acquisition.
MSEZ had sought the stay on the land acquisition proceedings initiated through notifications under Sections 4 and 6 on the grounds that if the acquisition was not completed by June 8, the entire process would lapse under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.
According to the company, its public interest project will be in jeopardy as it had spent around Rs 600 crore on setting up the SEZ.
The Maharashtra government is not justified in abandoning the acquisition proceedings after requiring MSEZ to enter into private negotiations with landholders, it said.
Two years after the state government issued its declaration of intention to acquire land for the company, the final award had not been made, the petition said, claiming there was no problem in passing consent awards as MSEZ had paid the consenting landowners for more than 8,257 hectares.
