HC says no to Vedanta Versity

The Rs 15,000 crore World class Vedanta University project in Odisha received a body blow.

The Odisha High Court on 16 November has declared the land acquisition for the Vedanta University project is illegal and ordered that the land be returned to the original owners.

The Vedanta University has acquired 6000 acres of land from the Puri Jaganath Temple and other Government land for the project.

"The State Government would take a view on the verdict once the copy of the judgement is available", said the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik.

The Higher Education Minister, Debi Prasad Mishra, however, defended the Vedanta University Bill stating that all the due procedures were followed in getting the Bill passed in the State Legislative Assembly, one and half years ago.

However till date the Bill has not received the assent of the Governor of Odisha.

There were two PILs and six individual petitions before the High Court challenging the land acquisition procedures, and the formation of company.

The PILs and petitions had also pointed out that the project will have debilitating effect on the coastal ecology of the area.

Disposing off the PIL and petitions filed by BJP leader Uma Bllava Rath and others, a division bench of the High Court comprising of Chief Justice V.Gopalgowda and Justice Bimal Prasad Das, has termed the land acquisition illegal and directed the company to return the awarded the land to the original owners.

Two senior advocates of Orissa High court, Jayanta Das and Subir Palit, appeared on behalf of petitioners in the case.

According to the advocates, the main contention of the petitions was that the land acquisition was in violation of the Land Acquisition Company Rules, 1963, the company was not formed as per the Companies Act 1956.

Moreover, they said, the PIL also pointed out that the university project would effect the local bio-diversity and it would have debilitating impact on the sensitive coastal eco-system of the state.

The first nail on the coffin of Vedanta University project was hammered by the Odisha Lok Pal which passed an adverse order against the land acquisition procedure for the project.

The second blow came, when the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) withdrew the environment clearance immediately after it accorded to the project.