The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of a plea challenging the demolition drive near Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura while granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the jurisdictional civil court for further relief, including stay on demolition.
“The relief claimed in this petition, in our opinion, is better examined in a suit as proceedings are pending (before jurisdictional civil court), we dispose of the petition with liberty to the petitioner to apply for relief before the civil suit,” ordered a bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose, Sanjay Kumar and S.V.N. Bhatti.
“We have not made any comment on merit in this matter and all the points are left open to be determined by the suit court,” clarified the bench. It refused to pass any interim direction ordering stay against demolition.
Senior advocate Prashanto Chandra Sen, instructed by advocate Kaushik Choudhary, urged the apex court to record the submission made by Railways in its affidavit that it will not carry out any further demolition in the disputed area.
At this, the bench said: “Show that affidavit before the trial court.”
Earlier on Friday, the court did not pass any order extending the ten days status quo order passed earlier on August 16 while asking the petitioner to respond to the Railways' claim that the petitioner has not approached the top court with clean hands as he is not having any property situated on the Railways land.
In its counter affidavit, the Railways had said that the petitioner challenging demolition gave its action a "communal overtone" by linking it with disputed religious premises.
The reply document said that the demolition was carried out as the Railways in Mathura undertook a project to convert the pre-Independent era 'meter gauge' to 'broad gauge' for running high-speed or express trains connecting Vrindavan with Mathura Junction Railway Station.
It had said that Mathura to Vrindavan is an important pilgrimage centre having very high footfall.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed Railways to maintain status quo with respect to the disputed land for a period of 10 days, while issuing a notice on the plea.
The petitioner had submitted in the apex court that Railways initiated demolition activities taking advantage of the situation when courts in Uttar Pradesh were closed pursuant to a resolution passed by the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council on account of shooting of an advocate.
Agartala MBB Airport gets new domestic air cargo terminal
The state transport minister Sushanta Chowdhury on Monday inaugurated the domestic air cargo terminal here at Agartala MBB Airport and said that the airport will soon receive the tag of international airport.
Court sentences four Bihar residents to 10 years RI
Six years after four persons from Bihar were detained for smuggling 29.5 kg of cannabis from Agartala in the Humsafar Express, the Additional Sessions Judge Court, Dharmanagar, North District of Tripura, on Monday convicted them and sentenced them to ten years of rigorous imprisonment.
Pradyot calls for respect to traditional heads amid temple land dispute
Tipra Motha Party founder and royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, has urged the government to acknowledge and respect the authority of Samajpatis (traditional heads) and Chantai (priests) in matters concerning temple development projects.
29 Bangladeshi nationals, seven touts held in Tripura
The Border Security Force (BSF), Tripura, has enhanced vigil and intensified its domination along the international border and detained 29 Bangladeshi nationals and seven Indian touts in last four days.
J.P. Nadda holds meeting with Tripura BJP leaders; discusses party-related issues
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda on Sunday held an important meeting with Tripura's state unit leaders including Chief Minister Manik Saha and discussed various party affairs.
One body recovered from Telangana tunnel on day 16 of rescue operation
Rescue workers on Sunday - the 16th day of the operation - pulled out the body of one of the eight missing persons from the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district after the cadaver dogs from Kerala identified the spot for presence of human remains under the rubble.
FM says GST rates to be reduced further, rationalised; Congress demands overhaul
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates will be reduced further as the process of rationalising tax slabs is nearing completion.
'Anti-incumbency is an issue of the past now': J.P. Nadda hails PM Modi's leadership in Tripura rally
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda on Sunday said that the political culture in India has changed after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, adding that people earlier used to talk about the anti-incumbency factor against the government.