Terming the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act,2011 as a colourable exercise of legislation,the Tatas moved the Supreme Court Tuesday,seeking an interim stay on the distribution of land to so-called unwilling farmers in Singur. Calcutta High Court yesterday declined to stay the transfer of the land. In its appeal,the Tatas said the law had been enacted in haste,and was in complete violation of basic principles in our Constitution. A vacation Bench of Justices P Sathasivam and A K Patnaik agreed to take up the matter for a detailed hearing on Wednesday. Under the new law,the Mamata Banerjee government has taken back 400 acres of land with Tata Motors in Singur,and intends to return it to their original owners in a process that could start as early as tomorrow. The Tatas have pleaded that the repossession of the land,carried out using police force,is illegal,and there has been vandalism and looting at the erstwhile Nano factory site. Counsel for Tatas submitted that the company was seeking a direction to restrain the state government from creating any third-party interest on the disputed land.
