The Supreme Court has slammed governments for misusing provisions of Land Acqusition Act to divest farmers of their prime agricultural land and giving it to builders. Questioning the building of hotels, malls and commercial complexes on land acquired for “public purpose”, a Bench of Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly yesterday refused to stay the Allahabad High Court order quashing the notifications for land acquisition in the area adjoining the national capital.

The Bench observed that a sinister campaign has been launched by various state governments to take advantage of the law against the poor people for taking away the land and giving it to builders where multiplexes, malls, posh residential complexes are developed which are beyond the reach of common men. The Bench questioned the change in land use by Uttar Pradesh government in Greater Noida and said, that was not the plan for which the land was acquired.