Book fair not to be held on Brigade Parade ground:HC

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Kolkata, Jan 29 (UNI) Calcutta High Court today set aside the army authorities' permission to hold the book fair in the city's sprawling Brigade Parade ground saying that the fair organisers submitted forged documents before the bench to get the court order.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justise Bhaskar Bhattacharya, directed the booksellers and publishers guild to hand over the area of the ground it had taken for the preparatory work to hold the fair, which was due to begin on January 31.

The court also asked the guild to restore the original position of the ground, which had been dug up to erect stalls, before handing it over to the army authorities.

The bench observed that the statutory body's permission taken by the guild for the work was forged and taken in a reckless manner.

The bench pulled up West Bengal Pollution Control Board saying that its permission to the guild was against the law and it did not make necessary enquiry before granting permission.

''The agencies which have given permission in a reckless manner to the guild are the civic authorities, fire brigade and police,'' the bench observed.

It passed the order on a PIL filed by city based lawyer Sabyasachi Roy Chowdhury challenging the army authorities' permission to hold the fair on the ground.

Mr Chowdhury said that more than 34 fairs were held on the ground for over a decade but they were refused permission since 2005 on the ground of pollution.

He questioned the army authorities' legal status for giving permission only to the Kolkata Book Fair, which was solely a commercial affair.

Hailing the verdict, environment activist Subash Dutta said, ''It is the victory of the peace loving people and the judicial system.'' In 2005 the high court had ruled that no fair could be held near the city's landmark Victoria Memorial on the ground of pollution and that the Maidan, in the heart of the city, should not be destroyed by organising rampant fairs.

The court permitted the guild to hold the book fair on the Maidan last year after the organisers and the state government pledged before the court in writing that it was the last year it would hold the fair on the ground.

UNI

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