Demolition drive in Lucknow’s Akbar Nagar: HC extends stay till today; plea of BPL people to be heard on Feb 26
Lucknow court extends stay in Akbar Nagar demolition drive till February 21, directs residents to file BPL certificates by February 26 or face adverse orders.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court extended the stay order granted earlier in the Akbar Nagar demolition drive, till February 21, on Tuesday.
Also, the court directed people who claimed to be below the poverty line to file their BPL certificates or ration cards by February 26. The matter of all such people will be heard on February 26.
The court said that the stay order will be applicable to residents who have approached the court in this matter. The court made it clear that the Lucknow Development Authority is free to act on those who have not approached the court.
It also warned that “in case the petitioners fail to supply the documents, as directed by this Court, this court would be forced to pass adverse orders including the orders for vacating their stay”.
The hearing regarding 13 people and others filing documents by February 21 will be taken up on Wednesday.
This 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 residents. The petitioners had challenged the demolition order passed by the LDA in December last year.
In pursuance of the court’s earlier order, 13 tax-paying petitioners had filed their GST and income tax returns details before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court. On their counsel’s request, the court gave time to the remaining petitioners to file their details by February 21.
The court on Tuesday directed that “With regard to remaining petitioners, since we are finding that there are good number of persons who are filing their G.S.T. and Income Tax Returns or otherwise holding the property within Lucknow, it is necessary that we should ask the remaining petitioners also to state as to whether they are having any G.S.T., P.A.N. Number and Income Tax Returns and whether they are having any property within India.”
Earlier, the state authorities and the Lucknow Development Authority had filed a list of 73 Akbar Nagar residents who filed their GST and income tax returns. The court had also directed the petitioners’ counsel to verify the list.
The state government was represented by chief standing counsel, Shailendra Kumar Singh. The counsel for LDA and municipal corporation also remained present.