SC to settle legal issues on all SEZs

The Supreme Court will settle legal issues regarding acquisition of land for setting up special economic zones (SEZ) in various parts of the country. This was indicated today by the Chief Justice when he issued notice on various petitions, including one moved by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Venture.

Petitions challenging the take-over of land are pending in various courts. Therefore, Reliance Venture, Mumbai SES and others today moved the Supreme Court for transfer of all such cases to itself to get a speedy and unified decision on the issue.

Senior counsel Harish Salve submitted that the petitions challenging land acquisitions question the very basis of the government policy of setting up of  SEZs. Therefore, the legal issues should be settled by the apex court so that the interests of the government and industries could be addressed and all disputes settled once and for all.

Some of the other big names involved in these petitions are Kuldip Bishnoi, son of former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal and Ajay Singh Chautala.

A petition challenging acquisition of land in Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, was argued in the same court but withdrawn as the Chief Justice observed that the pleas were too vague and the validity of the Land Acquisition Act itself has been challenged. Earlier, the Supreme Court had issued notice on two writ petitions moved by Karnataka Landless Farmers' Association and Karnataka Kisan & Khet Mazdoor Sangha. Today's petitions against acquisitions in Maharashtra and Haryana will be heard along with them.