Indian Express premises face sealing, HC refuses to give relief

New Delhi, Nov 16 (UNI) Refusing to grant a stay on sealing of the premises of Indian Express newspaper, the Delhi High Court today asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the land owning agency, to file a status report on the lease deed and land use tomorrow.

Adjourning the matter till tomorrow, the bench of acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma asked the DDA to file the status report.

Counsel Rajive Bansal, appearing for DDA, said that the half-acre premises was allotted to Chatrapati Shivaji Foundation, formed by former Union Minister and Congress leader Vasant Sathe for Rs 1.5 lakh.

The Foundation had rented out the whole premises for commercial purposes to the newspaper and there were lots of unauthorised constructions on the land, said Mr Bansal.

Senior Counsel Arun Jaitley, appearing for Indian Express, argued that the DDA had given permission to the foundation to rent out 25 percent of the premises and the newspaper would take steps to reduce its use to the permitted limit.

Mr Jaitley said the DDA and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) did not have the authority to seal the premises and at best they could force the society/NGOs to adhere to the land use according to law.

The Court granted two months time to the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM) to move out of the premises at B-27, Qutab Institutional Area in South Delhi, owned by Canara Bank Relief and Welfare Society, provided the institute submitted an undertaking in three days.

Senior Counsel Mukul Rohtagi said he would be submitting the undertaking tomorrow so that the premises was desealed for the benefits of more than 250 students.

UNI PAT VD VV1904