Return Singur land to farmers, SC orders West Bengal government
The Supreme Court on Wednesday quashed the allotment of 1,000 acres by the former CPI(M)-led government in West Bengal to Tata Motors in 2006 for the company’s aborted project to start a Nano car plant in Singur, declaring that the “entire acquisition process was illegal”.
A bench of Justices V. Gopala Gowda and Arun Mishra agreed for different reasons, in their separate judgments in the case, to quash the acquisition process and return the land to thousands of short-changed landowners, farmers and cultivators, who have been fighting a prolonged legal battle in the courts for over 10 years.
Singur land acquisition: A timeline
May 2006: Tata Motors announces Nano car plant at Singur in West Bengal.
July 2006: Mamata Banerjee opposes the plant on fertile land.
December 2006: Protests against the acquisition begins.
December 2006: Mamata Banerjee holds 26-day hunger strike against the land acquisition | Also read: Singur and political posturing
January 21, 2007: Tata Motors starts construction of Nano car plant in West Bengal.
January 18, 2008: Calcutta High Court upholds Singur land acquisition, following which farmers and NGO moved the Supreme Court challenging the HC order.
August 24, 2008: Mamata Banerjee starts indefinite dharna at Singur outside the car plant.
September 2, 2008: Tata Motors suspends work on Nano Plant at Singur.
September 3, 2008: Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi plays mediator; CPI(M)-led Left Front government and Trinamool agree to hold discussions.
September 5, 2008: West Bengal government and Trinamool start negotiations.
September 7, 2008: Talks break down.
October 3, 2008: Tata Motors decides to move out of Singur. Read: We cannot run a plant with police protection, says Tata
October 7, 2008: Tata Motors announces new Nano Plant at Sanand in Gujarat.
May 20, 2011: Mamata Banerjee sworn in as Chief Minister of West Bengal, announces first Cabinet decision to return 400 acres of land to unwilling Singur farmers.
June 14, 2011: Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill, 2011 passed in West Bengal Assembly.
June 22, 2011: Tata Motors moves Calcutta High Court challenging the Bill.
September 28, 2011: Calcutta High Court single bench upholds the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act, 2011.
June 22, 2012: A division bench of Calcutta High Court strikes down the Bill on an appeal by Tata Motors.
August 31, 2016: Supreme Court sets aside January 18, 2008 order of Calcutta High Court, allows appeals filed by some farmers and NGOs