- (1.) A notification under Section 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (The Act) was issued on 31 August 2007 by which a large tract of land measuring 320.256 hectares situated in District Gautam Budh Nagar was sought to be acquired for Planned Industrial Development through Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (Greater Noida). The declaration under Section 6 of the Act was made on 4 July 2008 for the same area. This petition has been filed on 9 February 2018 to assail the aforesaid notification under Section 4(1) of the Act as also the declaration under Section 6 of the Act.
(2.) A preliminary objection has been raised by learned Standing Counsel appearing for respondent nos.1 and 2 and Sri B.B. Jauhari, learned counsel appearing for Greater Noida that the Court should decline to entertain this petition as it has been filed with enormous delay of about 11 years without offering any satisfactory explanation.
(3.) All that has been stated by learned counsel for the petitioners to explain the delay is that the petitioners are still in possession of the property.;