E-Paper
Akbar Nagar demolition: Allahabad HC reserves judgment on BPL persons’ pleas, extends stay
The stay order would not apply on around 250 houses/ shops whose occupants haven’t approached the court after being provided time for the same
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Monday reserved its verdict on the petitions of BPL persons and also extended the interim stay order granted earlier in the Akbar Nagar demolition drive till pronouncement of judgment.
However, the stay order would not apply on around 250 houses/ shops whose occupants haven’t approached the court after being provided time for the same. Earlier, the court had made it clear that the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) was free to act against those who had not moved the court.
The order was passed by a division bench of justice Vivek Chaudhary and justice Om Prakash Shukla on a bunch of petitions filed by Akbar Nagar’s BPL residents. The petitioners had challenged the demolition order passed by the LDA in December last year.
On February 21, the court had said that the stay order will be applicable to residents who have approached the court in this matter. On February 20, the court had directed people who claimed to be below the poverty line to file their BPL certificates or ration cards by February 26.
In pursuance of the court’s earlier order, initially 13 tax-payer petitioners had filed their GST and income tax returns details before the court. On their counsel’s request, the court had granted time to the remaining petitioners to file their details by February 21. Some such more petitioners had filed their details as per the court’s earlier orders.
Also, the court had reserved its order after hearing petitions of those people who are GST and income tax payers on February 23. Meanwhile, some more persons approached the court on Monday. The state government was represented by chief standing counsel Shailendra Kumar Singh. The counsel for LDA and municipal corporation also remained present.
