Key ruling comes in land acquisition matter
Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court has ruled that government authorities cannot force private landowners to execute sale deeds for the acquisition of land.The Lucknow bench of the court said on Friday that land can be purchased through a sale deed only when the owner voluntarily agrees to sell and both sides mutually agree on the sale price and if no such consent is forthcoming, the state government will have to follow the statutory land acquisition procedure.With this, the court directed the authorities not to harass the petitioners or forcibly obtain their consent for executing sale deeds. It