NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed an order of the Itanagar bench of Gauhati HC asking the Centre to deposit 50% of Rs 418 crore compensation, which the govt alleged was vitiated by forgery, for acquisition of 537 acres of land for defence projects in remote Indo-China border areas of Arunachal Pradesh.Appearing for the Union govt, additional solicitor general S D Sanjay told a bench led by Justice K V Viswanathan that one man forged and fabricated power of attorneys of 102 landowners and approached the Reference court for reassessment of the market value of the land, which the authorities had pegged at Rs 70 crore and paid the landowners.Sanjay said despite the govt pointing out the mischief played by one person, as against the rest of the landowners having recorded their satisfaction in cumulatively receiving Rs 70 crore as compensation, the Reference Court determined the market price of land in the remote areas to be eight times the rate arrived at by authorities.How did the land in the remote Indo-China border areas of Arunachal Pradesh rise from Rs 10-12 lakh per acre to nearly 80 lakh per acre, the ASG asked. The bench said it was the Union govt counsel which had agreed to deposit 10% of Rs 418 crore before the Itanagar bench and hence, it must do the same.The SC directed the Centre to deposit Rs 41.8 crore before the Itanagar Bench registry and ordered suspension of operation of the Reference Court’s order. The Union govt has pointed out that the redetermination of compensation amount was vitiated by “forgery, fabrication and fraud played by one Dagli Riba, who alone had moved the Reference Court based on forged and fabricated power of attorneys of 102 landowners.”The Centre said the landowners had received compensation at the rate determined earlier and signed the deed of acceptance in November 2023 and did not approach the reference court for enhancement of compensation. It accused Riba of taking advantage of the situation to play fraud with the intention of pocketing the arbitrarily enhanced compensation amount.The defence ministry had on Feb 16, 2023, approved a proposal to acquire 537 acres in the general area of Bame village under Basar Circle, Leparada district in Arunachal Pradesh (border area) for establishment of Corps Ammunition Point. It had fixed the market rate of Rs 12.9 lakh per acre as compensation, totalling Rs 70 crore.
