New Delhi, Jan. 22 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted a further extension of two months to a special investigation team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police probing alleged illegal payouts by Noida Authority officials under the guise of enhanced compensation to landowners, after the probe zeroed in on 12 public servants suspected of playing a role in the transactions. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said, "In the interest of justice, we grant eight weeks' time for the SIT to take the investigation to its logical conclusion." The court passed the order after perusing a sealed cover status report submitted by the state government counsel Ruchira Goel, detailing the progress of the investigation so far. The SIT was constituted by the apex court in August 2025 to probe allegations of collusion between authority officials and landowners, leading to release of compensation far excess of amounts legally payable. During the two-month period, the SIT will examine properties held by the 12 identified officials and their family members, scrutinise their known sources of income, and analyse bank accounts of beneficiaries who allegedly received payouts. It will also probe if any commissions or kickbacks were paid to public servants in return for clearing inflated compensation claims. The status report indicated that statements of several accused is yet to be recorded while statements of 104 out of 212 beneficiaries are complete. Of the remaining 108, about 41 beneficiaries have expired. The SIT will be examining 43 known bank accounts of the beneficiaries over the next two months. Goel said, "The SIT has already drawn its conclusion with regard to collusion over illegal payouts. However, on the aspect of disproportionate assets of the officials concerned and whether any commission was paid to them, the SIT wants additional time." In its August 2025 order, the Supreme Court had directed the UP director general of police to constitute a three-member SIT to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the alleged irregularities. The court had authorised the SIT to register a criminal case and proceed under law if the probe disclosed a cognisable offence. It had also permitted the SIT to seek sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act to investigate public servants found to be involved. So far, the Noida Authority has processed requests for sanction against six officials, officials aware of the matter said. The latest order was passed in a case in which the apex court was hearing bail pleas of two Noida Authority officials accused of facilitating excess compensation payouts amounting to more than Rs.12 crore in 2021. The two officials - legal officer Dinesh Kumar Singh and assistant legal officer Virender Singh Nagar - are accused of wrongfully sanctioning a compensation amount of Rs.7.28 crore in a land acquisition matter more than two decades after the issue had been settled. According to the prosecution, the land in question was acquired in 1982, and the original landowner was paid compensation for his 10-15 bighas of land at the rate of Rs.10.12 per square yard. Dissatisfied with the amount, the landowner approached a district court in Ghaziabad, which in 1993 enhanced the compensation to Rs.16.61 per square yard. The authority paid the revised amount, and the matter was treated as closed. In 2015, Ramwati, the legal heir of the landowner, filed an appeal before the Allahabad high court seeking further enhancement of compensation. The appeal was dismissed. Besides probing the irregularities, the court had also directed restructuring the Noida authority into a Metropolitan Corporation by infusing transparency and a citizen-centric approach in its functioning. It even ordered the appointing of a chief vigilance officer for the authority and a Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) for resolving grievances of Noida residents within a month....