India, May 23 -- The Bombay High Court has directed disciplinary proceedings against the Thane Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition) for hurriedly disbursing around Rs.12 crore in compensation in a case where six agriculturalists had allegedly falsely claimed to be owners of the land.

The direction was given by a division bench comprising Justice MS Sonak and Justice Jitendra Jain, which was hearing a land dispute case.

"We note that instances are on the rise where SLAOs (special land acquisition officers) and competent authorities, ignoring legal provisions and decision of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and this Court, and even Government Resolutions (GR), rush to disburse the compensation amounts," the court noted on May 6.

The court was pe...