NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on October 5 said it may order "fair and independent" probe against Noida authority and its top brass for payment of crores of rupees as compensation to land owners in Noida, adjoining the national capital, without any entitlement in collusion and connivance of its senior officers.
In a strong observations, the top court had said this cannot be done at the instance of one or two officers, "Prima facie, the entire Noida set up appears to be involved."
A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan, however, considered a submission by the Uttar Pradesh that it has formed a high level committee, including Additional Director General of Police, Meerut Zone, to examine the matter.
The bench directed the committee named as SIT to file its report within two weeks to the court, making it clear that no further time would be granted to it.
After going through the report to be produced before this court, the bench said, "desirability of issuing directions for an independent and fair investigation will be considered on the next date of hearing".
The court put the matter for consideration on November 2, 2023.
The matter before the court related to a plea by Virendra Singh Nagar, who is a Law Officer in Noida, seeking anticipatory bail.
Nagar filed a plea in the Supreme Court after rejection of his anticipatory bail application by the Allahabad High Court.
An FIR was registered in 2021 against the petitioner, Dinesh Kumar Singh, and Ramwati under sections 420, 468, 471, 120B of IPC read with a section of Prevention of Corruption Act, for causing wrongful loss to Noida authority.
It was alleged that the petitioner in gross dereliction of its duty and without verifying the genuineness of the payment of compensation application of Smt Ramwati, recommended for payment of the compensation of over Rs 7 crores.
The court noted that during the course of hearing, it transpires that the reported case is not the sole instance and there are numerous cases in which the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority has paid compensation to the land owners, without any entitlement in law, prima facie for extraneous considerations.
In our considered view, it cannot be done at the instance of one or two officers of the Authority. Prima facie, the entire Noida set up appears to be involved. In such circumstances, it appears to us necessary to refer the matter to some independent agency for a deeper probe and to unearth the truth, the apex court had said in its September 14 order.
