The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to a stay a recent notification of the Delhi government, by which it has enhanced by three times the circle rates for acquiring agricultural land in the Capital. However, the Court said it would examine if the Lieutenant-Governor was required to sign the notification.
Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Congress leader Naresh Kumar, a Division Bench asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit within two weeks making its stand clear about the Transaction of Business Rules under which the notifications were issued in the name of the L-G.
The Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath, said it would not pass any interim order to stay the notification and would first hear the Delhi government’s stand in the matter. The Court posted the case for further hearing on September 23 after senior advocate Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the Delhi government, said due procedure for issuing the notification had been complied with. Through the notification issued on August 4, the Aam Aadmi Party government fixed the new rates in the range of Rs.1 crore to Rs.3.5 crore per acre, registering a significant increase from the earlier Rs.53 lakh per acre.
Mr. Kumar has contended in his petition that the government had no competence to issue such notifications and only the L-G was the competent authority to take a decision on such matters.
