Monitoring Committee gets 2 days to verify traders' affidavits

New Delhi, Nov 21 (UNI) The Supreme Court today granted two days to the Monitoring Committee (MC) to verify 18,459 affidavits filed by the traders stating that they have closed down their shops as per the directions of the Apex court.

The court will now decide the fate of 25,000 traders, who had filed the affidavits giving an undertaking to that they would close down their shops by June 30, 2006, on November 23.

The court also refused to take on record an application filed by a federation of 1700 private schools in Delhi having about eight lakh students but directed the MCD and the amicus curiae Ranjeet Kumar to go through the application and inform the court on November 23 whether these rules were entitled for any relief.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justices C K Thakker and Lokeshwar Singh Panta was told by Senior Counsel M N Krishnamani that the future of eight lakh students studying in these schools would be in jeopardy if the schools are forced to close down as the annual examinations are approaching. Hence, the schools may at least be allowed to continue till the annual examinations are over.

According to the application, education is not a commercial activity and the schools are meant for imparting education to the children. The Chief Justice responded by saying, ''we know what for they are run.'' The two government notifications dated September 7 and 15 , 2006, which are under challenge in the Supreme Court had permitted mixed land use along 2183 roads in Delhi.

The Central government and the MCD are seeking relief for 25,000 traders on par with other traders, who have been allowed to continue till the final decision of the court on the two notifications subject to filing of affidavits by these traders (approx 3 lakh) latest by January 31, 2007 , giving an undertaking that they would close down their shops immediately if the notifications are invalidated by the court.

UNI AKS/SC MS VV1237