The Uttarakhand High Court has dismissed a special appeal filed by Canara Bank seeking additional time to vacate its branch building in connection with a road widening project. The decision was delivered by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Siddhartha Shah.
The bank had taken a property on lease for its branch in Nainital. The land of the building was acquired by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for road widening. The bank requested the authorities to allow some time for shifting of branch but the authorities declined the request. Canara Bank filed a request in High Court to look into the case.
The bank had filed a petition in the High Court requesting that the portion of the building where its branch was operating as a tenant not be demolished for the next eight months, so that the bank could have enough time to relocate.
The single bench permitted the bank to make a representation before the competent authority, the National Highways Authority of India, and ordered the status quo to be maintained with respect to the building until a decision was taken. The bank subsequently made a representation, but the authorities rejected it on August 18, 2026. The order stated that the land on which the building was located fell within the right of way notified under the National Highways Act.
An award under Section 3G was passed in respect of this land on December 28, 2022, and the building owner, Amar Singh, was awarded compensation of ₹33.68 lakh. The court held that the August 18th order was not challenged in the present special appeal, and therefore, there was no basis for interference with the single bench order. Consequently, the special appeal was dismissed. However, the High Court clarified that this would not preclude Canara Bank from separately challenging the August 18th, 2026, order.
