Relief for publishers as HC orders status quo till Nov 2

NATIONAL HERALD WAS FOUNDED IN 1938 BY JAWAHARLAL NEHRU AS AN INSTRUMENT IN THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE AGAINST THE BRITISH

NEWDELHI:OFFERING interim relief to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of National Heraldnewspaper,thedelhihigh court on Thursday ordered status quo until November 22 after the central government ordered that the company vacate Herald House in New Delhi for alleged breach of lease norms.

Justice Sunil Gaur passed the order after solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court: “We are not going to take over possession of the building or throw anyone out of the building.” Mehta sought an adjournment of the case.

Appearing for AJL, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi contended that the order by the Land and Development Office (L&DO) was vitiated by mala fides (bad faith), biased and has been issued with oblique political motives. He submitted that AJL has been publishing a newspaper for the past several decades and that although there had been a brief suspension of publication because of financial trouble, its newspaper and digital media operations had since resumed.

National Herald was founded in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru as an instrument in the freedom struggle against the British and counts several Congress party leaders among its directors.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, “Suffocating autocracy and malice drives chain of malicious actions against National Herald and its parent company, AJL”. He added that the Congress party would fight the government with the same zeal and spirit with which it fought the “oppressive” British and thwart efforts to “silence” the voice of the newspaper.

In the two-hour hearing, senior counsel Singhvi said the order to vacate the building was based on the reasoning that there was no printing press at Herald House. “Press means I must be running a magazine or newspaper. I’m not running a toy factory. It is a newspaper office. Basement and fourth floor are used for it. Printing press is outsourced. Don’t need a printing machine in the office building,” he said.

While the arguments were still underway, Singhvi informed the court that two officials of L& DO had reached the Herald building. This was denied by the solicitor general, who said that no proceedings were being initiated and asked Singhvi to ask his clients to verify the submission.

Following this, Singhvi said he had some photographs of the two officials and named them. The solicitor general then assured the court that they would look into the matter. “I will check up. May be the officials have gone to check if they will hand over possession of the premises under the Public Premises Act,” Mehta said.

The matter would be now heard on November 22 until which no proceedings of eviction can be initiated by the Centre.