SC halts Gujarat HC decision on reclaiming land allotted to Adani Group

The Supreme Court on Wednesday paused a Gujarat High Court order that had directed the state government to initiate the process of reclaiming nearly 108 hectares of grazing land allocated to an Adani Group entity in 2005 near the Mundra port.

The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, acknowledged the appeal from Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd, emphasizing that a stay on the impugned order was necessary for justice. "Issue notice. Stay of impugned order," the bench stated.

Previously, on July 5, the Gujarat state government had informed the High Court of its decision to repossess the 108 hectares of 'gauchar' (grazing) land, originally given to an Adani Group entity. The High Court, taking note of an affidavit from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Revenue, had directed the concerned authorities to complete the resumption process in accordance with the law.

The matter was scheduled for further hearing on July 26.

The issue arose when residents of Navinal village in the Kutch district filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the allocation of 231 acres of grazing land to the Adani firm. The villagers challenged the decision, seeking to protect their traditional grazing land from being used for industrial purposes.

The Supreme Court's stay provides temporary relief to the Adani Group while the legal proceedings continue.