Authority: Supreme Court of India

Order Date: 22 September 2026

Case Overview

  • Petitioners: M/S JK Paper Ltd (Petitioner) vs. Bipinchandra Natwarlal Shah & Ors. (Respondents).
  • Petition is Special Leave to Appeal (C) No.21774/2025, arising from the impugned final judgment and order dated 30‑06‑2025 in CA (FOR STAY) No.1/2023 passed by the High Court of Gujarat, Ahmedabad.
  • The impugned judgment references:
  • Paragraph 17: notice under Section 12(2) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, allegedly re‑served on landowners on 2 January 2007.
  • Paragraph 21: a civil application for injunction filed by the landowners in January 2007, and the High Court’s order dated 27 April 2015 (Division Bench) and the interim status‑quo order first passed on the writ petition (Special Civil Application No.21046/2005).
  • The dispute concerns possession of land that was allegedly acquired by the State of Gujarat, some of which was purportedly transferred to JK Paper Ltd, and whether any remaining portion was offered to the company and refused.

Final Outcome

1. The State of Gujarat must file an affidavit by 4:00 p.m. on 23 September 2026, placing on record:

  • Documents relating to taking over possession of the disputed/acquired land from the landowners, including the Section 12(2) notice.
  • The extent of land that was made over to JK Paper Ltd and the relevant dates, with supporting documents.
  • Whether any remaining part of the disputed/acquired land was offered to JK Paper Ltd for possession and whether the company refused.

2. The landowners must also file an affidavit by 4:00 p.m. on 23 September 2026, placing on record:

  • The civil application praying for injunction filed in January 2007.
  • The interim order of status‑quo passed by the High Court on their writ petition (Special Civil Application No.21046/2005).

3. Copies of the affidavits must be served to the Advocate‑on‑Record for JK Paper Ltd within two hours of filing.

4. The Special Leave Petitions are relisted for hearing on 24 September 2026 at 3:30 PM.

Topics: Land Acquisition, Company Legal Dispute