The Nexus between Sovereignty and ‘Eminent Domain’ under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, and the Land Act, 2013

Abstract

The Indian state has used the colonial Land Acquisition Act (LAA), 1894, for acquiring land even without the consent of the people in the name of ‘public purpose’ and on payment of compensation, until it got repealed by a new act, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisitions, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The LAA, 1894 is an expression of the notion of ‘eminent domain’ and draws its sustenance from the sovereignty of the state. The understanding of sovereignty and to what extent the sovereign power of the state can use the concept of ‘eminent domain’ in the context of land acquisition remains a contentious issue. This article attempts to examine the notion of sovereignty and use of ‘eminent domain’ in the context of land acquisition in India. How does the inter-relationship between sovereignty and ‘eminent domain’ be understood according to the LAA, 1894 and the Land Act, 2013 has been discussed.