The Supreme Court has dismissed all appeals of Tamil Nadu land owners against land acquisition and allowed the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to acquire the notified land for construction of an 8-lane national highway corridor as part of the Bharatmala Project. The government had challenged the Madras High Court order striking down the land acquisition on various grounds and directing the revenue authorities to restore the mutation entries. The HC held that the status quo cannot be altered merely on the basis of the acquisition notification. The 3-judge SC bench, while negating the challenge to the land acquisition notifications, gave liberty to the affected persons to question the validity of the environment and forest clearances before the appropriate forum.
