Ahmedabad: Two innocent men spent 75 days behind bars for a dispute that was never criminal to begin with. Now the officials who put them there may have to pay for it literally.
The Gujarat government has filed an affidavit before the Gujarat High Court, with the Chief Secretary personally assuring the bench that punitive action will be taken against the officers responsible for wrongfully imprisoning two citizens under the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020.
What Went Wrong
A land dispute civil in nature was escalated by a Collector-headed committee into a criminal matter. The committee ordered an FIR under the Land Grabbing Act, a law that was never meant to apply to such cases. The two individuals were subsequently jailed for approximately 75 days.
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The High Court called it a direct violation of Article 21 of the Constitution the fundamental right to personal liberty. It didn’t mince words.
What the Chief Secretary Has Promised
- ₹10 lakh in compensation to be paid to both victims within three weeks
- The amount will be recovered from the personal salaries of the responsible officers not the state exchequer
- Strict departmental inquiry and action against the erring officials
- A new government circular to be issued shortly, explicitly barring misuse of the Land Grabbing Act in civil disputes
The Court’s Bluntness
The Chief Justice’s bench observed that jailing people who are simply fighting for their own land represents a serious systemic failure. The government had earlier tendered an unconditional apology, but the court pushed harder hence the affidavit.
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