Rehabilitation is not a fundamental right: SC

Case involved pleas by landowners in Kaithal whose properties were acquired in 1990s

- Utkarsh Anand

The Supreme Court has ruled that landowners whose properties are acquired for a public purpose cannot invoke the right to livelihood to demand rehabilitation or alternative land as a matter of legal right.

In a significant verdict on the scope of Article 21 (right to life and livelihood) in land acquisition cases, the top court held that the Constitution guarantees fair compensation for such acquisition, but not rehabilitation beyond what is provided in law or specific policies.

A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ruled that the deprivation of land for a public purpose, when carried out in accordance with the law, does not violate the right to life and livelihood under Article 21.