SC allows Sahara Group to restore tin fencing at Sahara Sahar

Lucknow, June 25 : The Supreme Court today allowed the restoration of tin fencing at Sahara Sahar which was demolished by the Lucknow Development Authority on June 23 in defiance of the apex court's orders.

The Court also disposed off a Special Leave Petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh Government against the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court's interim stay on the demolition work at Sahara Sahar property.

The Supreme Court also directed the High Court to hear the matter expeditiously.

The restoration work would be carried out on June 28 and 29 under the supervision of senior advocate L Nageshwar Rao.

Rao would submit his report to the Registrar of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court.

The Managing Worker and Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar, Subrata Roy, had on June 24 filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the LDA's act of demolishing the temporary fence at the Sahara Sahar.

The Supreme Court had on June 23 ordered the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) not to demolish the commercial property.

On June 20, the LDA had moved the Supreme Court saying that the Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited (SICCL) had flouted all mandatory provisions of the UP Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973 and raised unauthorised constructions over carved zonal roads without its permission.

The state government had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Allahabad High Court rebuked the LDA for demolishing the outer walls, the auditorium and the watchtower of Sahara Sahar without prior notice and also had asked the government to restore possession of the land to the company, after the Sahara Group knocked at its doors.

The State Government in its petition also said the illegal acts of the company deprived the common people from free access to the area.

The Special Leave Petition filed through advocate G Venkateswara Rao further alleged that Sahara had approached the Allahabad High Court "concealing vital facts so as to succeed in its evil design of grabbing public property."

The State government said the company on June 13 had agreed to remove certain encroachments on both zonal roads, which are a part of the Master Plan 2021.

The government also said that the Sahara Group had itself demolished the encroachments after 10.30 pm on June 17 by using its own people and machinery.

The LDA officials said it had leased 130 acres of land to the company for residential and commercial purposes in October 1994 and 140 acres for the green belt in 1995.

ANI