Power to acquire land, etc
Section 20A of the Railways Act, 1989 deals with power to acquire land, etc. Where the Central Government is satisfied that for a public purpose any land is required for execution of a special railway project, it may, by notification, declare its intention to acquire such land. The Act came into force on 01 Jul 1990.
1[20A. Power to acquire land, etc.-- (1) Where the Central Government is satisfied that for a public purpose any land is required for execution of a special railway project, it may, by notification, declare its intention to acquire such land.
(2) Every notification under sub-section (1), shall give a brief description of the land and of the special railway project for which the land is intended to be acquired.
(3) The State Government or the Union territory, as the case may be, shall for the purposes of this section, provide the details of the land records to the competent authority, whenever required.
(4) The competent authority shall cause the substance of the notification to be published in two local newspapers, one of which shall be in a vernacular language.]
Section 20A, The Railways Act, 1989 (Act 24 of 1989).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… The DFCCIL in their counter affidavit have stated that the land in question being a government land, notification under section 20A of the Railways Act was published on 16.1.2015 and under section 20E on 2.12.2015. In view of the same being a government land, neither the notification under section 20E nor the award for the same has been prepared. As such, it is submitted that there is no question of payment of compensation to the petitioners. It …
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… to Annexures with the writ petition) passed by respondent No.6 was partly allowed. $2.$ The appellants are purchasers of small parcels of land situated in Village Bir Rajpura, Tehsil Rajpura, District Patiala. This land, alongwith other land was acquired, vide notification dated 20.04.2010, issued under Section 20A of the Railways Act, 1989 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Railways Act'). After acquisition, Award dated 14.12.2011 was passed. However, compensation for the said land was not paid to the appellants on the ground that the land was not owned by the appellants or their vendors but was owned by the Gram Panchayat and …
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… Writ petitioners have also contended that State Government is not the appropriate authority to acquire land for the Silver Line Project. 15. In reply to the abovesaid contention of the writ petitioners, referring to Section 20A of the Railways Act, 1989, appellants submitted that Central Government can issue land acquisition notification only for Special Railway Projects, and the provisions of the Railways Act apply only when the Semi High Speed Rail Corridor covers one or more States. 16. Before proceeding to adjudicate the issues …
Made under this section, and citing it
1 instrument names this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 20A
What does Section 20A of the Railways Act deal with?
Section 20A of the Railways Act is headed "Power to acquire land, etc". [20A. Power to acquire land, etc.-- (1) Where the Central Government is satisfied that for a public purpose any land is required for execution of a special railway project, it may, by notification, declare its intention to acquire such land.
How do I find court cases under Section 20A of the Railways Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: Railways Act 1989 20A, section 20A Railways Act 1989, section 20A of the Railways Act. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome.
What should I read with Section 20A of the Railways Act, and has it changed?
4 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. One instrument names it without being made under it, most recently The Railway Amendment Act 2008 (2008).
When did Section 20A of the Railways Act come into force?
Section 20A of the Railways Act, cited as Railways Act 1989 20A, came into force on 01 Jul 1990, having been enacted on 03 Jun 1989. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 2. Definitions1289 words
- 90. Disposal of unremoved goods at notified stations852 words
- 20F. Determination of amount payable as compensation652 words
- 89. Power to declare notified stations529 words
- 138. Levy of excess charge and fare for travelling without proper pass or ticket or beyond authorised distance492 words
- 16. Accommodation works485 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.