By IANS,
New Delhi : The Uttar Pradesh government Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging a state high court order restricting it from carrying out more demolitions in a housing complex owned by the Sahara Group in Lucknow.
A vacation bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat refused to give any interim relief to the state government and stated that the matter would be taken up only next week.
The state government’s move was against the order of Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, which Thursday pulled up the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) for demolition of the Sahara Shahr during the night without any prior notice.
The high court had also asked the Uttar Pradesh government to restore possession of land to the Sahara Group company.
Taking strong exception to the demolition drive carried out by the LDA Wednesday night, the high court had also directed the Uttar Pradesh government not to carry out such demolition after 5 p.m. and before 9 a.m.
The court passed orders on a writ petition filed by Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited (SICCL) challenging the state government’s action.
In an operation that had started Wednesday night and lasted till the early hours Thursday, the LDA’s demolition squad razed different portions of boundary walls of the Sahara Shahr housing complex and other structures in the locality that were standing on the area earmarked for a green belt, officials said.
The other structures demolished by the LDA bulldozers were built against the boundary wall and were ‘pucca’ cottages belonging to the company’s employees.