Bombay HC rejects petition challenging land acquisition in Mumbai's Vikhroli for Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project

Dismissing the plea, the High Court noted that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is a "dream project of this country and of national importance and in the public interest,” a report in the media said.

A division bench of Justices R D Dhanuka and M M Sathaye said the project was one-of-its-kind and collective interest would prevail over private interest.

"It is the paramount collective interest which would ultimately prevail. In the facts of this case, the private interest claimed by the petitioner does not prevail over the public interest which would subserve an infrastructural project of public importance which is a dream project of this country and first of its kind," the report quoted the Bombay HC bench as saying.

"In our view, the bullet train project is an infrastructural project of national importance, a large number of the public would be benefited and would have saved other benefits for the betterment of this country," the court said, the report added.

The authorities had told the HC except for the land owned by Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited in the Vikhroli area, the acquisition process of the entire line for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project was concluded.

Mumbai and Ahmedabad bullet train project spans a total of 508.17 km of rail track. Out of this about 21 km is planned to be underground.

The dispute is over the land in Vikhroli (owned by Godrej) where one of the entry points to the underground tunnel falls.

The state government and the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) had claimed the company was delaying the entire project which was of public importance, according to the report.