Karnataka HC affirms verdict that upheld 30-year-old acquisition of Jamanlal Bajaj Seva Trust’s 270 acres land for APMC’s mega market project in Bengaluru

A Division Bench of the High Court of Karnataka has affirmed a single judge’s verdict of upholding notifications issued back in 1994 to acquire around 270 acres of land belonging to the Jamanlal Bajaj Seva Trust in favour of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC), Bengaluru, for setting up a mega market.

“The appellants have failed in demonstrating that the order of the single judge is in any manner erroneous and liable to be interfered with by this court,” said the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C.M. Poonacha.

The Bench passed the order while dismissing the appeals filed by the trust against the single judge’s February 3, 2025, verdict of dismissing the two petitions filed by the trust in 1999 and 2000 challenging the land acquisition notifications.

The court pointed out to the right of the State to acquire lands for public purposes subject to the same being in compliances with the provisions of the application statues, the Land Acquisition Act in the present case.

Notifications

The notifications were issued between 1994 and 1999 for acquiring around 170 acres and 100 acres of land in Srigandhada Kaval and Herohalli villages of Bengaluru North taluk and the legal battle between the government and the trust had multiple rounds of litigations earlier before the land tribunal, the High Court, and the Supreme Court.

The Bench also upheld the direction issued by the single judge to the State government to pay the compensation to the trust at the rate as agreed in the meeting held in September, 1999, along with the interest of 12% per annum from the date of award of compensation.