Thaindian News

Kolkata, Oct 31 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court Monday permitted Tata Motors to appeal against its verdict validating the Singur land law but the petition could not be filed as advocates suspended work to condole a colleague’s death. The petition is likely to be filed Tuesday.

The division bench of Justice K.J. Sengupta and Justice Joymalya Bagchi permitted company’s counsel Samaraditya Pal to file an appeal against the court’s decision on the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act that scrapped the land lease given to Tata Motors by the Left Front regime for its small car plant.

But Pal could not file the appeal owing to suspension of work in the court to offer condolence on the death of a lawyer, said an advocate.

The company has already notified the parties about its decision to challenge the verdict. “Yes, the company has decided to challenge the verdict on the ground of the act being unconstitutional and hence invalid. Due notice of the decision has been made to the respective parties,” company spokesperson Debasis Ray told IANS.

Justice I.P. Mukerji Sep 28 rejected the company’s plea challenging the legislation and declared the Singur land law enacted by the Mamata Banerjee-led government as constitutional and valid.

The verdict also validated the actions taken by the government under the Singur land law, though the company was held entitled to compensation to be ascertained by district judge, Hooghly.

The automobile major had to shift its Nano small car plant to Gujarat from Hooghly district’s Singur in 2008, owing to protests by farmers led by the Trinamool Congress that sought the return of 400 acres taken from farmers, who were reportedly unwilling to part with their lands.

Within a month of forming the government in May, Banerjee enacted the Singur land law with the objective of returning the land to the farmers.