Farmers opposing bullet train project to file SLPs in SC

Farmers opposing the bullet train project in Gujarat will on Monday file "special leave petitions" (SLPs) in the Supreme Court challenging the high court's September 2019 order dismissing their pleas against the process to acquire land.

As many as 50 SLPs will be filed in the top court representing more than 2500 affected farmers from 192 villages across eight districts where land is being acquired for the project, lawyer Anand Yagnik told PTI on Sunday night.

The Gujarat HC on September 19, 2019 dismissed over 120 petitions filed by farmers challenging the process to acquire their land for the ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.

However, in a partial relief to the petitioners, a division bench of justices A S Dave and Biren Vaishnav had said the issue of higher compensation is still "open" and that farmers can approach the authorities concerned to seek more money against their land.

In its order, the court had said that the farmers, while seeking more ...