NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday, adjourned the hearing of plea of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) challenging the Central government’s move to ask it to vacate the Herald House here, ordered a status quo in the matter till next date of hearing on November 22.
The National Herald case involves Congress President Rahul Gandhi and former party president Sonia Gandhi, party leaders Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and Motilal Vora. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the government’s Land and Development Office, gave the assurance of no action until then.
The publisher had approached the high court on November 12 challenging the October 30 order of the Urban Development Ministry, ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the premises in the press enclave at ITO here by November 15.
The plea sought quashing of the order on the grounds that it was “illegal, unconstitutional, arbitrary, tainted with malafide and without authority and jurisdiction”. The AJL had claimed that authorities have already begun the eviction. The government, however, denied that the eviction has started and claimed no one from the authorities entered the Herald House premises.
