Supreme Court annuls 38-year Karnataka land grab, restores property to owners

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court declared that the Karnataka government’s 1988 acquisition of roughly 59 acres near Bengaluru for a cooperative housing society violated the requirement that land be taken only for a public purpose. Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said the process was marked by fraud and undue influence, citing middlemen’s role in prompting the state’s action. The ruling restores the land to its original owners after 38 years and upholds a prior High Court judgment.

Additionally, the court ordered the state to compensate each plaintiff with Rs 50,000. The judgment reaffirms that eminent domain cannot be exercised without lawful authority and a legitimate public purpose.