Supreme Court Demands Reasonable Compensation for Decades-Old Illegal Land Occupation

The Supreme Court has instructed the Maharashtra government to propose a reasonable compensation for a private party whose land was illegally occupied by the state over 60 years ago. The court warned of halting state schemes and ordering demolition of structures if the compensation isn't satisfactory. The state proposed Rs 37.42 crore.

The Supreme Court has issued a stern directive to the Maharashtra government, demanding a 'reasonable' compensation for a private party whose property was unlawfully occupied by the state for over six decades.

A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan cautioned that failure to provide adequate compensation could result in the suspension of state schemes and demolition of structures on the disputed land. 'Come with a reasonable figure. Ask your chief secretary to speak to the chief minister. Otherwise, we will stop all those schemes,' the bench ordered.

The state government's counsel revealed a compensation offer of Rs 37.42 crore, noting that the case had been treated with sympathy by the revenue and forest departments. However, the bench demanded confirmation from the chief secretary, leading to a postponement of the matter for further hearing. The controversy involves buildings constructed on forest land that was wrongly allotted to the private party, a matter that has been pending for nearly 15 years.