Supreme Court Halts Gujarat HC Order on Adani's Grazing Land

The Supreme Court has stayed a Gujarat High Court order mandating the state government to reclaim nearly 108 hectares of grazing land from an Adani Group entity near Mundra port. Local villagers had protested the original 2005 land allocation due to insufficient grazing space, resulting in prolonged legal conflict.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday put a stay on a Gujarat High Court order which instructed the state government to reclaim nearly 108 hectares of grazing land that was allocated to an Adani Group entity in 2005.

Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan recognized the appeal from Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) and deemed it necessary to stay the high court's directive in the interest of justice.

Issuing the notice, the bench stated, "Issue notice. Stay of impugned order."

In July, the Gujarat government had informed the high court about its decision to take back the grazing land from the Adani firm. The villagers of Navinal of Kutch district had challenged the allocation via a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), alleging that the move reduced the village's grazing land to just 45 acres, thereby violating community needs.

The high court's decision to resume the land came after multiple back-and-forth legal actions and government proposals, ultimately leading to the Supreme Court's intervention.

(With inputs from agencies.)