HC seeks reply from state government

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday directed the state counsel to seek instructions from the state government in a case related with alleged seizure of oxygen tankers of a Lucknow -based firm last month by officials of the district administration. Sangeeta Jaiswal is owner of the firm RK Oxygen.

A division bench of justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and Saurabh Lavania in a virtual hearing said: “Learned counsel for the petitioner (Sangeeta Jaiswal) submits that opposite parties (officials of district administration) have forcefully taken away six liquid oxygen tankers of the petitioner and they are not returning the same to the petitioner.”

“Opposite parties have no authority to take away the liquid oxygen tankers of the petitioner and the same have been taken by the opposite parties in their custody without any consent of the petitioner,” added the court.

“Opposite parties are now forcing the petitioner to purchase the liquid oxygen tankers at very high rate. An inquiry is required to be conducted in this regard,” asserted the court.

The petition had purchased liquid oxygen from Linde India Pvt Ltd, Jamshedpur. On behalf of the petitioner, lawyers CB Pandey and Asim Kumar Singh appeared before the court. Advocate Anand Dwivedi appeared on behalf of the Centre.

Additional Chief Standing Counsel appearing for opposite party (state) may seek instructions in the matter before the next date of listing, said the court. “Four liquid oxygen containers of the petitioner reached Charbagh railway station on May 4 by train along with six containers for the state government. But all four containers of the petitioner were seized by district officials with the help of cops,” said CB Pandey, lawyer of the petitioner.

“Four tankers of Adani Transport carrying liquid Oxygen had reached the petitioner’s plant on May 3. Out of these, two were seized by the district officials,” said Pandey. The court listed the case for hearing in the week commencing from June 14.