THE SUPREME COURT TODAY constituted a fresh Special Investigation Team (‘SIT’) of the Uttar Pradesh Police to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations of collusion between NOIDA officials and builders over inflated land acquisition compensation paid to farmers.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi directed that the new SIT, comprising three Indian Police Services (‘IPS’) officers, will replace the earlier team and immediately take over the probe. It also restrained any project development in NOIDA without prior Environmental Impact Assessment (‘EIA’) and approval of the report by the top Court’s green bench.
The bench ordered the Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police to appoint three IPS officers to investigate the issues flagged by the previous SIT. It further directed that forensic experts and the Economic Offences Wing (‘EoW’) of the state police be associated with the probe.
The Court made it clear that if the SIT, after its preliminary inquiry, finds prima facie evidence of a cognisable offence, it must register a First Information Report and proceed in accordance with law. The SIT has been asked to submit a status report to the Court.
A copy of its findings will also be placed before the UP Chief Secretary, who must table it before the Council of Ministers for appropriate action. The bench further directed that a Chief Vigilance Officer be posted in NOIDA — either an IPS officer or one deputed from the Comptroller and Auditor General’s office.
The matter will be taken up next after eight weeks.
The directions came while the court was hearing a matter in which it had earlier ordered an SIT probe during the anticipatory bail hearing of a NOIDA law officer. Allegations in the case include awarding higher compensation to certain landowners who were not entitled to it.
The earlier SIT’s report indicated that exorbitant payouts were made in 20 cases, naming erring NOIDA officials. It also recommended examining bank accounts of these officials, their family members, and the landowners, as well as assets acquired during the relevant period.
The NOIDA land compensation controversy stems from allegations that certain officials colluded with builders to award inflated payouts to landowners during acquisitions, often beyond legal entitlements, under the Land Acquisition Act framework.
The Supreme Court, while hearing anticipatory bail pleas in the matter, had earlier directed a Special Investigation Team probe after preliminary findings pointed to irregularities in 20 cases and flagged suspicious asset accumulation by officials.
The case also intersects with environmental compliance, as multiple NOIDA projects face scrutiny over alleged violations of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, prompting the Court to link future project clearances to strict EIA adherence and top-level monitoring.
