The Supreme Court will hear a petition filed by farmers’ bodies challenging the promulgation of the controversial Land Acquisition Ordinance on April 13. A Bench, led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, agreed to senior advocate Indira Jaising’s request to grant an urgent hearing during the mentioning hour in court.
The petition alleges that promulgation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Re-settlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 on April 3 by first proroguing the Rajya Sabha on March 28 was a “clever device and ruse” adopted by the government which subverts the legislative process of the Rajya Sabha.
“Lack of political will or consensus or the fear of the Executive of getting defeated on the floor of the House, is not a ground for exercise of power under Article 123,” said the petition.
