The court passed the order on AJL’s plea challenging the Centre’s October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease.
Delhi High Court. (File Photo: IANS)
In a setback to the Congress, the Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed the plea by Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of National Herald, challenging the Centre’s order to vacate the premises in the national capital.
Justice Sunil Gaur said AJL will have to vacate the premises at ITO in Delhi within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated.
The court passed the order on AJL’s plea challenging the Centre’s October 30 order ending its 56-year-old lease.
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In the order, the Centre and Land and Development Office (L&DO) has said that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.
The publisher had approached the High Court on November 12 challenging the Ministry’s October 30 order.
The AJL told the court that it has been publishing the newspaper for decades. There was a temporary suspension due to financial trouble, but the newspaper and its digital media operations have now fully resumed.
The publication of the weekly “National Herald on Sunday” was resumed on September 24, 2017, and it is published from the Herald House. On October 14, the AJL also resumed its weekly Hindi newspaper.
The government reportedly inspected the premises a few months ago and found that the area allotted to AJL was not being used for the publication of the newspaper for the past 10 years, the court was told.
(With agency inputs)
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