The Supreme Court today ordered status quo in respect of land acquired or sought to be acquired for the proposed Vedanta University at Puri in Odisha. Following this, the Vedanta University project will continue to remain stalled. An apex court bench of Justice Mr. D K Jain and Justice Mr. H L Dattu ordered status quo on the nature,character and possession of the land acquired or sought to be acquired. The Odisha government and Anil Agarwal Foundation, promoter of the project, had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Odisha High Court judgment faulting the land acquisition in the project. The Odisha High Court had directed the Odisha government and the Vedanta University authorities to return the acquired land to their originalowners. The judgment had raised a lot of hue and cry in Odisha and sharp criticism from opposition political parties including the Congress and BJP.