Bidadi Township Land Acquisition Case: HC Rejects Public Interest Litigation

The Karnataka High Court on July 20 dismissed a public‑interest litigation that challenged the government's move to acquire 516 acres of agricultural land for the Greater Bangalore Integrated Township at Bidadi. The petition, lodged by KB Rajesh, was heard by a division bench composed of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice K.S. Hemlekh.

During the proceedings, the bench noted that the acquisition could be governed by distinct legal provisions designed to grant better compensation, and that the state claimed adherence to the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The court asked the petitioner to identify any specific violation of the law.

Rajesh argued that the state’s plan to earmark over 9,400 acres for real‑estate development conflicted with farmers' wishes to continue farming. He pointed out a sustained protest lasting roughly 500 days and insisted that at least 80 % of landowners must consent for a project of this scale.

The judges made it clear that they would not assess the project's merits but instructed the petitioner to demonstrate a procedural error in the acquisition. When the petitioner mentioned potential political changes after 2028, the court warned against turning the hearing into a political forum and asked for concrete legal evidence.

Consequently, the High Court rejected the PIL, allowing the land‑acquisition notices for the Bidadi Integrated Township to remain in force.

The ruling aligns with statements made by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on July 15, in which he promised that no farmer would be forced to surrender land and announced an expert committee to review the project's legal and other aspects within two to three months. He clarified that the Bidadi township is not his "dream project" and accused political rivals of misleading the farming community.