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Odisha HC Orders Shantipalli Basti Residents to Vacate for Project

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa High Court has ordered the residents of Shantipalli Basti in Bhubaneswar to vacate their homes and relocate to designated temporary accommodations. This move is aimed at facilitating the completion of the Shantipalli Awas Yojana, a significant in-situ slum redevelopment initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Justice Sanjeeb K Panigrahi delivered this ruling in response to several petitions from beneficiaries of the project. He upheld the legal transfer of land to the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and validated the State Level Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee’s decision to set the beneficiary contribution at Rs 1.5 lakh per…

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Odisha HC Permits Vigilance Court Trial in BDA Scam Case

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has upheld a vigilance court’s ruling that denied the discharge of former officials involved in the 2014 Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) plot allotment scandal, affirming that sufficient evidence exists for the trial to move forward. Justice Chittaranjan Dash rejected criminal revision petitions put forth by Bibhuti Bhusan Ray and Prakash Chandra Patra, along with two co-defendants, contesting the November 23, 2024 order from the additional special judge (vigilance) in Bhubaneswar. The petitions sought to dismiss charges related to the alleged irregular allotment of 10 commercial plots in Chandrasekharpur. In his judgment on November 12, Justice…

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Orissa HC Rescinds Inquiry, Restores PMAY-G Benefits

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has overturned a government inquiry report that deemed several beneficiaries ineligible for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G). The court ruled the inquiry did not adhere to established guidelines and was therefore invalid. Ten residents from Gopinathpur panchayat in Bhadrak district challenged the government’s decision to deny them PMAY-G benefits. An initial block-level inquiry identified 258 eligible beneficiaries, including the petitioners, with the gram sabha approving their names on January 30, 2023. Consequently, work orders were issued on June 19, 2023, and some beneficiaries received the first installment of ₹40,000. However, Malatilata Sahoo, a village…

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Orissa HC Rejects LIC’s Flat Cancellation in Bhubaneswar

Orissa High Court CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has overturned the Life Insurance Corporation of India’s (LIC) decision to revoke flat allotments under its “Policy Holders’ Housing Scheme” at Jeevan Bima Nagar, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar. The court ordered LIC to finalize the allotment process within eight weeks, contingent on each allottee paying an additional 10% of the original flat cost. The judgment came after reviewing four separate petitions filed by Satyavan K Panda, Dr. Laxmikanta Mishra, Dr. Swapna Kabiraj, and Saktidhar Das from 2015 to 2018. In 2014, a lottery was conducted for 75 flats under Phase-II of LIC’s housing scheme,…

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Odisha HC: Co-owners can sell undivided property shares freely

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court recently upheld the rights of co-owners in joint properties, stating that a co-sharer can sell their undivided share without needing consent from other co-sharers. This resolution was issued by Justice Ananda Chandra Behera during a hearing regarding a petition from Padmini Barik. She contested the refusal of the Basudevpur sub-registrar in Bhadrak district to register her sale deed. Barik claimed her deed was rejected due to the absence of her co-sharers’ consent. The High Court deemed this refusal legally invalid. In the judgment delivered on August 25, Justice Behera referenced Section 44 of the Transfer…

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Odisha HC Cancels Land Deals in Baniapat Khuntapada, Keonjhar

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has annulled several land transactions pertaining to 4.40 acres of shared ancestral property in Baniapat Khuntapada and Keonjhar. The court noted that these transactions were marred by the intentional exclusion of heirs and procedural irregularities. As a result, the court has instructed the Keonjhar district collector to investigate the irregularities and take disciplinary measures against responsible officials. Additionally, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been ordered to halt any compensation payments for the land designated for a highway project and to recover any funds already disbursed. In a ruling dated July 18, Justice…

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Odisha HC’s Ruling Boosts Real Estate, Safeguards Homebuyers

BHUBANESWAR: Recent orders from the Orissa High Court, largely favoring homebuyers, are poised to transform the real estate landscape in Bhubaneswar. Experts believe this signals a decline in developer monopolies. The court issued a stay on the construction of an access road by a developer for his new project, responding to a plea from an allottee’s association from a major housing initiative at Paikarapur in Kalinga Nagar. The roadwork was reportedly undertaken within the common areas of the existing housing project. The developer was advancing the housing project in phases, a detail withheld from the original project owners. Allegations arose…