The Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Act 2011 seeks to discriminate between willing and unwilling farmers and is, hence, inconsistent with the Central Land Acquisition Act, 1894, Tatas’ counsel, Mr Samaraditya Pal, argued before the Calcutta High Court on Monday.
“There is no such concept of willing and unwilling farmers in the Central Act. The Land Acquisition Act does not provide for such a discrimination,” Mr Pal argued.
According to the senior counsel, the Singur Act suffers from a “two-fold vice” and was formulated keeping in mind the concept of “willing and unwilling farmers”.
“A law cannot override the Constitution,” Mr Pal said referring to the Singur Act.
“This (the Singur Act) is arbitrary and cannot be justified by giving a legal framework,” he added.