Supreme Court directs Punjab Govt to maintain status quo' on SYL canal land

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Punjab government to maintain ‘status quo’ on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal land and issued notice to Punjab and the Centre on Haryana’s application for implementation of the apex court directions on sharing of Ravi-Beas waters.

A bench of Justices Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Amitav Roy also appointed the Union home secretary, the Punjab chief secretary and director general of police as court receivers of the canal land and asked them to file a report within a week on the “ground situation” in respect of the land.

When senior counsel Ram Jethmalani and Harish Salve for Punjab submitted that lands had already been vested with the farmers, the Bench clarified that “for the present, nobody in possession of the lands etc in question as on today would be dispossessed before the next date of hearing.”

By a notification issued on November 16, Punjab returned the acquired land to the farmers after the Assembly passed a resolution in this regard.