2013 land row: Allahabad HC orders government inquiry against Noida officials

The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh state government to initiate an inquiry into the actions of officials from the Noida Authority who allegedly acquired 4680 square meters of land from a villager in Wazidpur without paying her compensation. The Industrial Development Department was also directed to recover from the officials the financial loss caused to the authority, if any, for the illegal action. The court asked the authority to pay Rs 5 lakh to the petitioner as legal expenses in its order on January 13. The HC gave the authority two options- either compensate the petitioner in keeping with the right to fair compensation and transparency in land acquisition rehabilitation and resettlement act 2013 within a period of three months, or purchase the land directly at the current market rate.