SC urges HC to urgently hear plea on Central Vista

THE PLEA HAS SOUGHT SUSPENSION OF THE ONGOING CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN SOME STRETCHES DUE TO COVID-19 SPIKE

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday observed that the Covid-19 situation is “very serious”, as it requested the Delhi high court to consider hearing urgently a plea that has sought suspension of the ongoing construction activity in some stretches of the Central Vista area of New Delhi due to spurt in infections.

Taking note of the fact the high court has given a long adjournment to the matter, the bench of justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari observed that it would not be proper to issue any directive to another constitutional court to hear the case on an earlier date, but it was certain that the chief justice of the high court would consider the request for an urgent hearing for the plea.

“Since the matter is pending before the high court and the appeal is against the order of adjournment, we are not inclined to enter into the merits of the case. In the given circumstance, we request Shri Sidharth Luthra (petitioner’s lawyer) or any other counsel to make request before the chief justice of high court on Monday to take up the matter as urgently as possible,” said the court order. It added: “We hope and trust that high court shall consider the prayer for early hearing.”

The central government’s ₹15,000 crore redevelopment plan for the historically significant Central Vista area envisages a new Parliament, Central Secretariat, and Union ministry offices, apart from other buildings.

Petitioners Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi filed a petition before the high court, questioning the urgency in carrying on with the construction activity on three stretches of the Central Vista area during the subsistence of this peak phase of the pandemic in the Capital when oxygen is in short supply and the health care system has collapsed.

On May 4, a Delhi high court bench led by chief justice DN Patel adjourned the matter to May 17, saying he needed some time to read the Supreme Court judgment of January 5 giving a clearance to the Central Vista Avenue Redevelopment Project. The petitioners challenged this order of long adjournment before the top court in an appeal, drawn by advocate Ketaki Goswami. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta opposed the plea, raising doubts over the bona fide of the petitioners but the court said that all this could be argued before the high court.