Suo moto PIL over encroachment in Kamrup (M), High Court (HC) impleads 122 more respondents

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has impleaded an additional 122 respondents on top of the earlier 91 respondents in the suo moto PIL regarding encroachment of government land by various people in the Kamrup (M) district.

This move comes in the wake of the High Court declining to set aside eviction notices served by the Circle Officer of the Dispur Revenue Circle upon several illegal settlers in the Dakhin Gaon area in Saukuchi, Guwahati in a separate case.

A total of 154 persons had approached a single Bench of the High Court to set aside the eviction notices and consequent action by the authorities. The petitioners' counsel submitted that unless the court intervenes in the matter, the lives and livelihood of many families would be adversely affected by the eviction drive.

The High Court observed: "As is clear from the pleadings and the submission made by the learned counsel for the petitioners, the petitioners are illegal occupants of government land. They do not have any land documents and neither have they applied for settlement of the government land, which they are illegally occupying, in their names till date. As such, the petitioners cannot be said to have any legally justifiable basis to continue to stay illegally on government land, on the basis of mere possession of the said land. Further, the Order dated 31.03.2021 passed in PIL (suo moto) shows that a report had been called for by the Division Bench of this Court with respect to the legal encroachment of government land and the report submitted by the state government showed that the encroached lands had been allotted to different government departments. Out of the 268 bighas which was under illegal occupation the government has been able to regain 33 bighas, 2 kathas, 13 lechas of land. Thus, approximately 235 bighas of land still remain under encroachment."

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