The Supreme Court has directed the High Court of Uttarakhand to take up, two pending writ petitions filed by Deccan Charters Pvt. Ltd. challenging the State’s temporary acquisition of its private helipad at Govind Ghat during the Char Dham Yatra for final disposal in the week commencing 09.03.2026.
Disposing of a writ petition filed under Article 32, a Bench comprising the Chief Justice and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi observed that the effective relief in the matter would lie in early adjudication of the pending proceedings before the High Court. The Court accordingly directed the Registrar General of the High Court to obtain appropriate orders for listing the writ petitions at Serial No. 1 for final disposal in the week commencing March 9, 2026, and requested that they be decided expeditiously, preferably within two months.
The petitioner company has been operating helicopter shuttle services for the Shri Hemkund Sahib Yatra since 2011 and claims to have developed a private helipad on leased land at Govind Ghat, with the lease stated to be valid until March 31, 2027.
The helipad was first temporarily taken over by the State Government for six months during the Char Dham Yatra through a communication dated May 23, 2024, issued under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
While the petition is pending, the State allegedly passed another order dated June 27, 2025, again taking over the helipad without prior notice or payment of compensation. This subsequent order was separately challenged in another Writ Petition. Both matters remain pending before the High Court and are being heard together.
The company had earlier approached the Supreme Court by way of a Special Leave Petition, which was not entertained, though the Court had requested the High Court to endeavour to decide the pending writ petitions expeditiously . With the requisition order dated June 27, 2025 continuing in force and the High Court yet to render a final decision, the petitioner once again invoked the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 32 .
In its writ petition, the company sought quashing of the May 23, 2024 and June 27, 2025 orders, restoration of possession of the helipad, interim release of the facility for operations after the alleged end of the acquisition period on December 27, 2025, and compensation for the period of alleged illegal acquisition .
The Supreme Court clarified that if, for unforeseen reasons, the petitioner’s fate is not decided by the High Court, it would be at liberty to seek revival of proceedings before the Supreme Court
The writ petition and the connected interlocutory application were disposed of in the above terms.
Appearances:
For Petitioner(s): Ms. Kadambari Singh, Sr. Adv.; Mr. Praveen Kumar, Adv.; Mr. Smarhar Singh, AOR; Mr. Sameer Rai, Adv.; Ms. Shraddha Sharma, Adv.; Mr. Suman Raj, Adv.
