By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta
A court in the Indian state of West Bengal has ruled that land acquired for manufacturing the world's cheapest car by Tata Motors was done so legally.
The court dismissed all 11 petitions challenging the acquisition process of 997 acres of farmland at Singur - a cluster of villages in West Bengal.
The decision comes a week after industrialist Ratan Tata unveiled the Nano car, priced at $2,500.
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The state's Marxist government denies the charge. It says it is desperately trying to attract investment to rejuvenate the state's ailing economy.
'No violation'
A Calcutta High Court bench, comprising Chief Justice SS Nijjar and Justice PC Ghosh, said they had found "no violation of the Land Acquisition Act or any other regulation" by the West Bengal government in acquiring the land.
In February last year, one Joydeep Mukherjee had filed a petition challenging the acquisition of land at Singur in Hooghly district, about 40 kms from the state capital, Calcutta.
Mr Mukherjee, along with 10 other individuals and associations who joined the case as added petitioners later, claimed that the land had been acquired illegally.
They also alleged that agricultural land was acquired for building the factory which was illegal.
The petition followed months of fierce protests by a section of local peasants led by opposition parties like the Trinamul Congress. The West Bengal government, in its defence, told the court it had not violated any legal provisions while acquiring land for the Tata plant.
The world's cheapest car Nano, which has attracted tremendous media and public attention since its launch, is to be manufactured at the Singur factory.
The construction of the plant is in full swing to meet the car's commercial rollout deadline of mid-2008.
State officials say scores of other automobile ancillary industries are lining up for space in Singur to set up their manufacturing units. Opposition leader Mamata Banerji of the Trinamul Congress party has not yet reacted to the judgement.
(BBC)
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