Legislating for Justice
Subtitle: The Making of the 2013 Land Acquisition Law
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng; hin
Number of pages: 266
ISBN-13: 9780199458998
Subjects: Land tenure, asia
Description: Land ownership in India has always been a risky proposition. The hitherto unfettered power of acquisition and the refusal of the Parliament to recognize the right to own property as a fundamental one, had emboldened the state to stake claim on any land it saw fit. However, in the years 2012-2014, the Government of India embarked on an exercise to not just amend but to rewrite the law on acquisition. This process saw the radical polarization of public opinion into two sharp sides a those who saw acquisition as a necessary tool to India's development (given the absence of other mechanisms guaranteeing clear title), and those who were sharply opposed to an archaic relic that defied the rule of law. This book attempts to explain the rationale employed behind each and every provision by the then Minister and his Principle Aide who helped draft the law.