Retired SC judge Gopala Gowda terms Bidadi Township notification ‘void’
Retired Supreme Court judge V. Gopala Gowda has declared the preliminary notification for the Bidadi Township Project in Bengaluru as void. Local farmers are protesting the project, citing concerns over loss of livelihood, self-reliance, and the lack of a proper social impact assessment.
Why it matters
The dispute underscores the ongoing tension between large-scale urban development projects and the rights of agrarian communities in India.
On the 500th day of the farmers’ agitation against the Bidadi Township Project in Bengaluru South district, the protesters participated in a public hearing with retired Supreme Court judge V. Gopala Gowda, who alleged that the preliminary notification for the project would itself be held “void”.
The protesting farmers raised several concerns, ranging from the loss of self-reliance to the loss of steady sources of income that would follow if the acquisition was carried out. While the public hearing was also open to farmers supporting the township project, none attended, although they have set up a small camp just 50 metres away from the venue.
Manjunath, a farmer from Kempashettidoddi, said that he owns just 16 guntas of land and earns over ₹60,000 a month from it.
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