Between 2008 and 2009, about 1,700 hectares in four villages of Rajgurunagar were acquired to develop a multi-product special economic zone (SEZ). The four villages are Nimgaon, Kanersar, Davdi and Kendur. The SEZ was to be developed by Khed Economic Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (KEIPL), Bharat Forge Ltd, and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). However, Bharat Forge Ltd, a multinational firm, did not undertake development activity after 2009.
Farmers from the region started protesting in 2015 over the status of the project as the project stood abandoned. Quoting the Land Acquisition Act 2013, the farmers, led by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, demanded the land be handed back to them as it had not been used for many years.
In January 2013, the Maharashtra government introduced an industrial policy which brought forth the policy of Integrated Industrial Area. This was to give an exit route to companies that were no longer interested in developing the SEZ. Yet, KEIPL transferred the land to Kalyani Developers Ltd and made the affected farmers its stakeholders.
As per the land acquisition agreement, farmers of the four affected villages were promised 15 per cent of the developed land. The farmers moved to the Bombay High court to pursue their demands. In January 2018, MIDC announced that KEIPL had marked 183.37 hectares of developed land for the farmers from the SEZ and it would construct roads and infrastructure on it.
In May 2018, the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cancelled the Khed Special Economic zone. He said that injustice was being done to them and they were being cheated. He also promised to return the land back without any hurdle and waived off land transfer fees to the farmers.
In furtherance of the objective of returning land belonging to farmers, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 13 April 2017 denotified 257.05 hectares from the Khed SEZ. Thereafter, by a subsequent Gazette Notification dated 9 December 2022, another 642.95 hectares were denotified from Khed SEZ, thereby leaving a resultant 100 hectares of Khed SEZ remaining.
As per an approval issued on 29 January 2023 by the Joint Secretary of the Government of Maharashtra, 6,447 acres of land reserved for land acquisition of the second phase of Khed Special Economic Zone were returned to the farmers.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for promised land
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Private
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project scrapped
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
500
Type of investment:
Cost of Project
Year of Estimation
2016
Has the Conflict Ended?
Yes
When did it end?
May 2018
Why did the conflict end?
In May 2018, the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis cancelled the Khed Special Economic zone stating that injustice was being done to them and they were being cheated. He also promised to return the land back without any hurdle and waived off land transfer fees to the farmers.
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Controversial land acquisition by the government
Non-implementation/violation of LARR Act
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Bombay; National Green Tribunal
Case Number
WP No. 37/2010; Appeal No. 24/2012
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Khed Economic Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Bharat Forge Pvt Ltd, Kalyani Group Pvt Ltd
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Local farmers
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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