Jaipur: The Supreme Court upheld the acquisition of 27 hectares in Sheopura village for the proposed metro car depot under Phase II of the Jaipur Metro Rail Project, dismissing appeals by landowners and clearing the way for the long-delayed project.A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, in an order dated July 11 and uploaded Monday, said there was no ground to interfere with the Rajasthan High Court Division Bench’s judgement, which restored the acquisition proceedings after setting aside a single judge’s 2023 order quashing them. The bench dismissed the landowners’ appeals against the High Court’s April 30, 2026, verdict.The acquisition remained tied up in litigation for more than a decade. “The landowners failed to establish any substantial violation of the mandatory hearing requirement under Section 5A of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894,” the court observed.The dispute dates back to 2011, when the urban development department initiated acquisition proceedings for the metro depot.The landowners challenged the acquisition, alleging they were denied an effective hearing and that authorities failed to properly consider their objections, including the availability of alternative land and the ecological impact of tree felling.A single judge of the Rajasthan High Court accepted these arguments in May 2023 and quashed the acquisition. However, a Division Bench reversed the order in April this year, holding that the acquisition process was legally valid.Upholding the Division Bench’s ruling, the Supreme Court observed that although Section 5A provides an important safeguard to landowners, the record showed the objectors participated in the proceedings on several dates but neither filed a rejoinder nor appeared on the scheduled hearing in April 2012. The court held there was no deliberate denial of hearing by the land acquisition officer or any material violation that could invalidate the acquisition.While dismissing the appeals and vacating the interim protection, the court granted the landowners liberty to pursue legal remedies for enhanced compensation or to challenge the land acquisition award in accordance with law.
