In May 2019, thousands of residents of Khoh, Kasan and Manesar villages in Haryana's Gurugram district protested outside the office of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) demanding the return of 162 acres of land acquired in 2007 for the expansion of Industrial Model Township (IMT) or Manesar Township.
According to the protesters, almost 90 percent of the land in Manesar had been acquired by the government, but most of the acquired land remain unused. They claimed that there is no land left for farming or for residential purpose. They also alleged that
In 2011, the protesting farmers took the matter to the Supreme Court, which directed the state to review the case in the light of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament in the same year. The bill was passed in 2013 and came into force in January 2014. Under the LARR Act, land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, should be returned to the land owners if it remains unutilised for five years after the acquisition.
While some of the landowners accepted the compensation offered by HSIIDC, the remaining approached the district court and the High Court of Punjab and Haryana seeking to increase the compensation amount. The courts ruled in favour of the landowners, following which the HSIIDC approached the Supreme Court. In March 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of HSIIDC. But the farmers are continued their protests demanding to either return the land or give more compensation than promised.
"The disputed land is lying vacant and the farmers are able to use it for cultivation. Our MLA has promised that the government will resolve the matter," Parveen, from Khoh village, told LCW on 15 September 2021.
In 2023, the Haryana government launched the 'No Litigation Policy' to provide incentives to owners whose land had been acquired for the expansion of IMT Manesar. Under this policy, landowners are entitled to 1,000 square metres of developed land/plots against the acquisition of one acre of land on a pro rata basis for the industrial model township in the revenue estate of villages Kasan, Kukrola and Sehrawan of Manesar tehsil. However, benefits under the policy are subject to the condition that the landowners shall not challenge the acquisition of their land, accept the compensation as awarded by the state government and not seek enhancement in compensation amount announced in these awards and that they shall withdraw all cases in any court of law in respect of the land in question.
Under the policy, the landowners will have the right to opt for the scheme within a period of six months from its notification. "A specific policy has been prepared for rehabilitating the landowners, whose land has been acquired under award no. 1, 2 and 3 dated August 16, 2022, for villages Kasan, Kukrola and Sehrawan , respectively, for an area measuring 1758 acres,” an official spokesperson told Hindustan Times. “The landowners not opting under the ‘No Litigation Policy- 2023’ will be eligible for benefits under the Rehabilitation and Resettlement of Land Owners and Land Acquisition Oustees policy,” the spokesperson told the publication.
In February 2025, the Haryana government extended the deadline to apply for the scheme after farmers said that many of them were unable to complete the applications before the initial deadline but were willing to opt for the policy. The decision to extend the No Litigation Policy-2023 deadline was reportedly "widely welcomed" by the farming community.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for more compensation than promised
Demand to get back acquired land
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 underway despite protests
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
Yes
When did it end?
2023
Why did the conflict end?
In 2023, the Haryana government launched the 'No Litigation Policy' to provide incentives to owners whose land had been acquired for the expansion of IMT Manesar. Under this policy, landowners are entitled to 1,000 square metres of developed land/plots against the acquisition of one acre of land on a pro rata basis for the industrial model township in the revenue estate of villages Kasan, Kukrola and Sehrawan of Manesar tehsil. However, benefits under the policy are subject to the condition that the landowners shall not challenge the acquisition of their land, accept the compensation as awarded by the state government and not seek enhancement in compensation amount announced in these awards and that they shall withdraw all cases in any court of law in respect of the land in question. In February 2025, the Haryana government extended the deadline to apply for the scheme after farmers said that many of them were unable to complete the applications before the initial deadline but were willing to opt for the policy. The decision to extend the No Litigation Policy-2023 deadline was reportedly "widely welcomed" by the farming community.
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Land Acquisition Laws, 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.
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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.
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
Use of old/outdated laws
Incorrect estimation of compensation
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)
Supreme Court
Case Number
Civil Appeal No. 8788 of 2015
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:
Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC)
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Krishi Bhoomi Bachao Andolan Committee
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?
Damandeep is a research scholar in the Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Assistant Professor (Political Science) in Trai Shatabdi Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Amritsar. He is interested in understanding the politics of heritage and its impact on contemporary cityscapes. He has completed his Master’s in Political Science from Panjab University.
