Rewari villagers in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer have been protesting against the state government's move to transfer land to the Adani Group for setting up a 450MW solar power plant.
The government has allotted 834 hectares of land to SBE Renewables Ten Project Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of the Adani Group, for the construction of a solar power plant. This is a part of Adani Group's hybrid solar and wind power plant to generate renewable energy. The cost of the project, acquired via the bidding process, is not available in the public domain.
During the protests, villagers stated that the SBE International did not give jobs to locals as promised under the project even as they lost all forms of livelihood, forcing them to travel to the district headquarters for labourer jobs. Several of them were also detained during the protest held on May 8, 2022.
Villagers claimed that SBE Renewables began taking over the government land in the village in 2021 after a meeting was held by the officials with the residents to inform them of the benefits. However, the villagers quickly realised that the benefits were promised in exchange for the land they had been using for several generations.
The land was documented in the revenue records as a "banjar" (unoccupied and uncultivable) land, but villagers used it for cultivation and grazing their cattle. In exchange, they annually paid a trespassing (TP) fine to the revenue authorities.
Villagers said that the land allotted to the company had ponds and catchment areas that were used by the farmers and cattle alike. They also used the land to access different parts of the village. However, since all of this land was not legally recorded in any other category (grazing, ponds, sacred land), it was allotted to the company on a lease of 30 years.
While a court case was filed against the company terming the allotment as 'illegal,' since on paper everything was done legally, the judge decided against the villagers. The judge also invoked the Special Reliefs Act stating that no injunction could be passed against this infrastructure project, which would be of "great important to mother earth and entire humanity."
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for better access to common land/resources
Demand for employment
Demand to cancel the project
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common
Non-Forest (Grazing Land), Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Released from detention
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
No
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
No, they were not produced before a magistrate at all
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 underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Grazing, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Not Available
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Court decision not in favour of community
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
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
No
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:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Disposed
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 8472/2021
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Arrest/detention/imprisonment
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
During a protest on May 8, 2023, some farmers were detained by the police. They were released within 24 hours of detention.
Date of Violation
August 4, 2022
Location of Violation
Rewadi
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Fatehgarh Tehsildar, District Collector, Rajasthan Revenue and Energy Department
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
-
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Adani Group subsidiary - SBE Renewables Ten Project Pvt. Ltd.
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Yes
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Villagers and Jal Grahan Vikas Sanstha of Riwadi
What was the action taken by the police?
Detention
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Released from detention
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
No
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
No, they were not produced before a magistrate at all
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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