Sahara at SC door, again

NEW DELHI: The problems between the Sahara group, considered close to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, and his political adversary Mayawati's Uttar Pradesh government seems to prolong for some time, as the Subrata Roy's company again moved the supreme court on Tuesday complaining of violation of the court's order that ordered status quo a day earlier.

The court on Wednesday will hear Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited (SICCL)'s petition seeking contempt action against the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) for continuing demolition at Sahara Sahar, in disregard to its order preventing any construction or demolition at the 270-acre Sahara Sahar adjoining Mayawati's Ambedkar Park.

A vacation bench headed by justice Altamas Kabir on Monday passed the order refusing permission to the state government to go ahead with the demolition of a part of the Sahar that had "encroached on the park".

Sahara's lawyer Kailash Vasudev argued that the LDA demolished the temporary fencing around some structure despite being intimated about the status quo order.
However, later in the day, UP government's additional advocate general Shail Dwivedi said the fencing was erected after the court passed the order.

In its appeal, the UP government said the SICCL flouted the mandatory provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, by raising unauthorised construction without its permission.

However, the SICCL said the LDA had acted without giving a notice. The LDA denied the charge, saying that on June 13, two SICCL representatives had met the LDA vice-chairman and admitted that Sahara had encroached upon the 30-metre-wide road and they also promised to withdraw from that land.

LDA also said Sahara had ignored repeated instructions to remove the encroachment.