The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday upheld as constitutional and valid the law enacted by Mamata Banerjees government to take back land given by the Left regime to Tata Motors in Singur. Justice I P Mukherjee,however,stayed the operation of the verdict until November 2 to allow for appeals. Though the unwilling farmers face a wait before they actually get back their land,the strong pro-farmer message delivered by the legal battle fought by the state is likely to consolidate Banerjees grassroots base ahead of panchayat polls in 2013,and further marginalise the Left in what was once its citadel. The Chief Minister described the verdict as historic for farmers not just in Singur or West Bengal,but across the nation. Its a victory of Maa-Mati-Manush,and a fitting reply to those who ridiculed the government, she said. We are committed to giving back the land to farmers in Singur as soon as possible. Tata Motors moved Calcutta High Court four months ago after a special session of the state Assembly passed the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act,2011,vesting the entire 997 acres at the site in the government. The court on Wednesday ruled that although the state government intends to pay compensation to the Tatas,the provisions in the 2011 law were vague and uncertain. Tata Motors would have to apply to District Judge,Hoogly,who would decide on the compensation within six months. Tata Motors,which had challenged the validity of the law,offered no immediate comment. The issue of compensation as reflected in the judgment is a matter of legal debate. The board of directors will decide on the next course of action, said Siddhartha Mitra,counsel for Tata Motors. Company sources said an appeal against the judgment is imminent. The verdict must be challenged before a division bench of the high court before it goes to the Supreme Court. The verdict received mixed reactions in Singur. A large number of farmers fighting to get back land forcibly taken away by the Left Front government for the Tata small car factory,felt that their struggle had been vindicted. But the happiness was dampened by uncertainty over when they would actually get back the land. Chief Minister Banerjee herself appeared less than jubilant. She declined to hold up her hand in the victory sign for photographers even after having won the Bhowanipore Assembly seat by a record margin of over 54,000 votes.
