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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
Uphaar fire case adjourned to May 5
The Uphaar case was on Thursday adjourned by the Delhi High Court for May 5, when directions will be issued to list the matter before a bench for its disposal.
The matter, fixed on January 29 for day-to-day hearings tentatively from April 12 to 14 by the court ``considering the importance of the case'', was referred back to the court of the acting Chief Justice after a bench before which it was listed refused to hear it. The regular hearings, however, could not take place as the court was pre-occupied with other matters.
Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, the then Acting Chief Justice, had declined to hear the matter after it was brought to his notice that he had appeared against the Ansals, the owners of Uphaar cinema (as a government counsel), a few years ago in case concerning fire safety measures. He posted it before another bench but it was referred back to the CJ's court.
The Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) had filed the case against the Ansals and various agencies, holding them responsible for the inferno there on June 13, 1997, that claimed 59 lives. The petitioners have demanded compensation to the victims' families and stringent action against those responsible for the tragedy.
Amitabh Bachchan fails to file reply in court
Actor Amitabh Bachchan has been asked by the Delhi High Court to reply within two weeks to a petition filed against the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), seeking an inquiry into its affairs. Bachchan's reply is sought in his capacity as one of the foundation's eight trustees. Advocate P.N. Lekhi in his petition filed in August last year had also demanded the removal of RGF chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The court had issued notices to Sonia Gandhi, her children Priyanka and Rahul, former president Shanker Dayal Sharma, Suman Dubey, Amitabh Bachchan and two other trustees named as defendants in Lekhi's petition on August 13 last year. All others named in the case have filed their replies. Not only did Bachchan not file his reply, but his advocate failed to appear in court. Advocate K.C. Mittal today appeared for the RGF, Sonia Gandhi, her children Priyanka and Rahul, and Dubey.
Sharma chargesheeted
The Delhi Police on Thursday chargesheeted alleged Dawood frontman Romesh Sharma for allegedly grabbing the property of a Mumbai-based architect. Sharma's brother -- who allegedly connived with Sharma and forcibly obtained the architect's signatures on cash receipts of over Rs 1.26 crore -- has also been chargesheeted.
The other accused in the case are Sharma's close associates Vinod Luthra and Arvind Balli. Taking cognizance of the chargesheet, Metropolitan Magistrate Jai Prakash Narain issued summons for April 22, the next date of hearing.
The chargesheet accuses all the persons of criminal conspiracy and committing robbery and dacoity. The chargesheet alleged that Sharma conspired with other accused persons and grabbed two floors of a building at Wembley in Mumbai by forcibly obtaining signatures of architect Dinkey Charles Mascarenas, who also owns a construction company. Sharma allegedly forced Dinkey to sign an agreement paper, on gun-point. Dinkey also received threatening calls from Chotta Shakeel, the chargesheet said.
Unauthorised colonies: Centre to clarify stand
The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to place on record before July 28 its policy on unauthorised construction in the Capital and also a time-frame for deciding the fate of existing unauthorised colonies. Acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice K.S. Gupta's direction came following the government's plea that it needed more time to decide on such a ``massive problem'' and that it had to take a comprehensive view of the departments involved. The court was hearing a PIL by Common Cause seeking a total ban on all unauthorised constructions and stringent action against those violating the law in this regard. Common Cause director H.D. Shourie and its counsel Meera Bhatia, during the arguments today, blamed the Delhi government along with its various agencies and the Delhi Police for not taking any action against those carrying out unauthorised construction in the Capital.
Countering the government's claim that there were only 1,071 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, Shourie said the actual number was no less than 1,400 and no sanction was sought by the public for constructing 1.98 lakh houses that have come up in these colonies.
Shourie has also demanded that the government levy hefty developmental charges whenever the issue of regularisation was decided. The government, he added, had not been able to formulate a comprehensive policy as some of the colonies are on its land, some are on private land and some partly on government land and partly on private land.
``Half of the 667 colonies regularised way back in 1977 lack even basic facilities, though the government had laid down clear guidelines that these should have proper facilities for parks, schools, health services and police posts,'' he said. The Union Urban Affairs Ministry in an affidavit filed before the bench earlier had stated that guidelines for regularisation of unauthorised colonies on private land had been submitted last year and the same ``regarding colonies on government land and those inhabited by affluent sections were being discussed with Delhi government, DDA and MCD''.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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