The Supreme Court of India has directed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Uttar Pradesh government to conduct a comprehensive investigation into allegations of corruption in land compensation distribution by the Noida Authority over the past 15 years. This directive follows the court’s dissatisfaction with the initial report submitted by the SIT, which was perceived as inadequate and limited to a single case.
On November 22, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan, expressed their dissatisfaction with the report submitted by the ‘fact-finding committee’ in connection with allegations of corruption at the Noida Authority. The bench noted,
“Despite categoric observations made by this court on September 14, 2023, the so-called fact-finding report revolves around only one case of release of the excess compensation…. It is obvious from the report that the committee comprising of senior officers did not even care to understand the scope and import of the orders passed by this court and no effort has been made to find out whether compensation in other heavy acquisition matters was paid in accordance with law and strictly in terms of the court orders.”
The Supreme Court’s order, issued on November 24, mandates the state-level SIT to probe the cases and submit a report within a month. The court has also directed the state government and the Noida Authority to provide details of any departmental actions initiated against officers found involved in irregular or illegal release of compensation.
The investigation stems from a 2021 FIR against Noida Authority’s former legal adviser, Dinesh Kumar Singh, and assistant legal officer Virendra Singh Nagar. They were accused of illegally approving files for a landowner, facilitating a compensation of around Rs 7.3 crore. The high court dismissed their bail plea in January this year, observing that Nagar had caused
“wrongful loss to the Noida Authority and wrongful gain to himself and the landowner.”
The Supreme Court, while hearing their bail plea, observed that this was not a solitary case and that there could be more instances of corruption at the Noida Authority.
“Prima facie, the entire Noida (Authority) setup appears to be involved. In such circumstances, it appears necessary to refer the matter to an independent agency for a deeper probe to uncover the truth,”
the court had stated.
The SIT, led by an additional director-general of police from the Meerut Zone, is tasked with investigating if the Noida Authority disbursed compensation in collusion with the beneficiaries. The next hearing is scheduled for January 17, 2024, by which time the SIT is expected to submit their comprehensive report.
This investigation highlights the need for transparency and accountability in land compensation processes, particularly in rapidly developing urban areas like Noida. The Supreme Court’s intervention underscores its commitment to ensuring lawful and ethical governance practices.
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