By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Friday directed the central government to relocate a gurdwara built on encroached land in the capital's diplomatic area of Chanakyapuri by allocating a piece of land in the vicinity.
When the government counsel said that the land meant for the gurdwara had been allotted for a community centre, a division bench of Chief Justice M.K. Sarma and Justice R.S. Sodhi said: "Find an alternate site for the gurdwara and allot it for relocation."
Adjourning the matter till July 20, the court asked the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the Land and Development Office, the land owning agencies, to identify a piece of land close to the gurdwara on Malcha Marg.
Counsel Anjana Gusai appearing for the NDMC said a piece of land was offered to the gurdwara management committee earlier but it had not accepted it.
Appearing as amicus curie, counsel Pushkar Sood said that there were illegal constructions on the footpath and some shops adjacent to the school building in the area.
The gurdwara had come up on the public land several decades ago and the municipal authorities did not initiate any action against the managing committee, Sood said.