Land acquisition proceedings will become illegal if the Government fails to observe the mandatory requirement of issuing public notices to the affected parties, the Supreme Court has held, quashing the Maharashtra Government’s acquisition of a piece of land for a defence unit.

A Bench of Justices H. L. Dattu and A. R. Dave said that besides notifying the acquisition in the official Gazette, the authorities were bound to notify the affected persons through at least two newspapers in the local region.