While referring the Noida extension land acquisition issue to a larger bench, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday gave the Uttar Pradesh government and the agitating farmers a bonus period of 17 days to try and negotiate an out of court settlement.
The court order came in some 250 petitions that were clubbed as they involved hundreds of farmers spread across 10 villages where some 3,000 hectare of land was acquired by the Greater Noida Authority.
The petitioners had accused the Greater Noida Authority and the state government of arbitrarily bypassing the prescribed procedure for acquisition by unlawfully using an "urgency" clause, when the land in question was actually given away to builders and developers to build swanky residential complexes.
A division bench comprising Justice Amitabh Lala and Justice Ashok Srivastava said that the farmers and the administration were free to hold fresh negotiations and strike a deal, if possible by August 12.
"In case no settlement comes through by August 12, then the matter would heard by a larger bench with effect from August 17",