Meera Bhardwaj:
In a shocking development, farmers in Anekal say “Land Acquisition of 1938.13 acres for Suryanagar 4th Phase layout project” in Jigani hobli, Anekal taluk, Bengaluru South district, Karnataka continues unabated disregarding the Karnataka High Court orders.
The land acquisition proceedings are going on despite the landmark judgement delivered by the Karnataka High Court on August 29, 2026 which completely quashed the land acquisition proceedings of 1938.13 acres in five villages of Anekal taluk for Suryanagar4th Phase layout project by Karnataka Housing Board (KHB). This landmark order was pronounced on a writ appeal filed by 18 affected farmers who said for the first time in their lives, they had achieved a decisive victory over the state govt that was bent upon going ahead with the Suryanagar 4th Phase layout project.
The topmost, thumbnail image displays the continuation of works by KHB in Anekal taluk. The above work was picturized and video-graphed by farmers in Bommandahalli village on September 5, 2026 at 1.54 pm – six days after the Karnataka High Court’s landmark judgement.
PROJECT WITHIN BANNERGHATTA ESZ
The Karnataka High Court in its orders on 29.08.2026 had said, “The entire land acquisition proceedings are nothing but an exercise without undertaking the relevant considerations such as, scientific study of environment impact assessment, socio-ecological factors etc., as flagged by the Supreme Court appointed CEC.”
The two-judge bench had also stressed since the project in question itself falls within the Bannerghatta National Park ESZ of 268.96 Sq Kms, the whole project is misconceived and would have irreversible ecological, environmental and wildlife related consequences.
However, farmers said even after this landmark order, the KHB has gone ahead & continued with the impugned acquisition proceedings from September 1st and claimed that the HC order was only limited to an extent of some 70-80 acres owned by the 18 farmer appellants and not for the entire lot of 1938.13 acres in the five villages of Anekal taluk.
ACHIEVEMENT SHORT-LIVED
“Our achievement and happiness are short-lived as the land acquisition proceedings continues unabated,” said the aggrieved and affected farmers from Konasandra, Bommandanahalli, Indlavadi, Kadajakanahalli, and Baghanadoddi villages of Anekal Taluk in Bengaluru South district.
Most of them are marginal farmers owning 1-2 acres of land while some of them own 10-15 acres. Further, the farmers are a scared lot as they are being threatened by real estate agents and brokers from Anekal as also from Bengaluru city. The farmers living in the Bannerghatta ESZ area fear for their lives and are totally disturbed.
LEGAL EXPERT OPINION
Meanwhile, speaking to Green Minute News, a Supreme Court Advocate from Delhi said:
“The quashing is not confined only to the individual lands of the farmers who filed the appeals. The High Court has used the expression “the impugned land acquisition proceedings”, i.e. the acquisition proceedings for the Suryanagar 4th Phase layout project that were challenged before the Court. The judgment describes the project as covering land in Konasandra, Bommandahalli, Kadajakanahalli, Indalawadi and Baghanadoddi. The preliminary notifications covered 2,220 acres 12 guntas, while the final declarations covered 1,938 acres 13 guntas.”
Further, the SC Advocate added, “In my view, this is a significant point if KHB is now contending that only the lands of the appellants stand released. The wording of paragraph 66–67 gives a strong basis to argue that the entire impugned acquisition for Suryanagar 4th Phase covered by the challenged notifications has been quashed, rather than merely the individual parcels of the appellants.”
The above image shows construction work going on in Kadajakanahalli village on September 1, 2026 and the GPS camera clearly reveals all the necessary details about the location of the project and the kind of construction that is going on in this village despite quashing of land acquisition proceedings on 29.08.2026.
Providing dated videos and photographic evidence with GPS readings from the two villages in the aftermath of the High Court landmark judgement on 29.09.2026, the farmers say earthwork, roadwork, layout formation, drainage works are going on for construction of villas and a cricket stadium that fall in the villages of Konasandra, Bommandanahalli, Indlavadi, Kaadujakkanhalli, and Baghanadoddi. Real estate offices have sprung up in every nook and corner of the five villages of Anekal taluk.
FARMERS EXPRESS THEIR HELPLESSNESS
Speaking to Green Minute News, farmers and petitioners from the five affected villages expressed their total shock on the continuing land acquisition proceedings even after the High Court quashed the land acquisition proceedings. WE don’t know what to do as even our advocate is hiding. We are so helpless as the realtors are targeting the petitioners as no political party is bothered about the plight of marginal farmers.”
After more than a decade of litigation, the petitioners say, “We won the case but the govt is least bothered while the KHB continues the process of acquisition in our villages, they have also released pending money to farmers three days after the High Court order in the villages of Konasandra, Bommandanahalli, Indlavadi, Kadajakanahalli, and Baghanadoddi.”
CRICKET STADIUM IN INDLAVADI VILLAGE
A farmer from Indlavadi said, “The International Cricket Stadium project is going on with all speed. They have even called for tender for the Stadium project of Rs 900.16 crore even though this project falls within the five villages where land acquisition has been quashed by the High Court. Nobody is bothered whether this project falls within the Bannerghatta ESZ or that the High Court has already quashed 1938.13 acres of acquisition proceedings.”
The farmers who spoke to Green Minute News said luxury villas are being built on agricultural lands owned by marginal farmers. “We have tilled the lands for generations and how are we supposed to earn our livelihood. We are not interested in shifting from our ancestral lands to some other lands in other district. And a day may come; we will be ousted from those lands in the future. This is a vicious cycle where the rich landowners can survive while, we the marginal farmers are forced to eke a livelihood with great difficulty.”
The High Court in its order has clearly stated no public purpose can supersede the object of environmental and ecological conservation, however, the state government wants to go ahead with this ecologically disastrous project at any cost, say wildlife activists and they add, “The State Govt is so desperate that they are going on with Suryanagar 4th Phase layout formation for residences, villas, stadium, drainages and roads and what not in an area that witnesses wildlife movement and is a significant elephant migration pathway. Even the High Court order cannot stop them.”
(PHOTO CREDIT: ALL IMAGES FROM FARMERS WITH DATES, GPS MARKINGS)