TMC hails Singur judgment as "eye-opener"

Trinamool Congress (TMC) today welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on the Singur land acquisition case and said it would be an "eye-opener" for all such instances of acquisition.
"This is a long political and legal battle we have been fighting in the public interest. I am happy because this verdict is going to be an eye-opener in respect of all land acquisitions," TMC Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Bandopadhyay, who spearheaded the legal battle for the party, said.
The apex court set aside the Calcutta High Court order upholding the land acquisition for Tata's Nano plant at Singur in West Bengal.

"Our leader Mamata Banerjee went on fasting for 26 days against this illegal acquisition of land. People have given their verdict in 2009 and 2011 against the acquisition of land in favour of Tata Motors," Bandopadhyay said.
"After ten years of battle, the apex court successfully approved the stand taken by us to the extent that the acquisition was illegal," he said.
In the verdict, the apex court, after finding fault with the land acquisition process, directed the state government to return the acquired land to the cultivators within 12 weeks from today.
While deciding that the acquisition of land by the State for a company does not fall under the purview of public purpose, the court also held that the land owners/cultivators need not return compensation given to government as they did not use the land for 10 years.