HC cancels News agency UNI’s land allotment; office sealed in Delhi
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The office of United News of India in Delhi was sealed on Friday night after the Delhi High Court cancelled the agency’s land allotment.
UNI claimed that the action was carried out without prior notice and alleged that the premises were forcibly vacated. According to reports, officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ Land and Development Office sealed the office in the presence of the Delhi Police and personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force.
The news agency alleged that employees who requested time or asked to see an official notice were pushed out of the newsroom, including women staff, and were subjected to verbal abuse during the process, Scroll.in reported.
Earlier in the day, the High Court ruled that UNI had failed to construct a building on the allotted land for over four decades and had effectively occupied valuable public land without fulfilling its obligations.
The court upheld a March 29, 2023 order issued by the Land and Development Office, which had stated that under the 1979 allotment terms, UNI was required to complete a composite office complex within two years of taking possession.
The order also noted that the land had originally been designated for joint use by UNI, the Press Club of India, and the Press Association, but UNI had not met the required conditions.
UNI further alleged that a large contingent of police and paramilitary personnel, along with some lawyers, entered the premises and pressured employees to vacate immediately, warning that force would be used if they did not comply.
The agency said it was unclear why such action was taken without prior notice or in the absence of senior management. It added that the sudden eviction had disrupted news transmission to over 500 subscribers across its English, Hindi, and Urdu services, raising concerns about the organisation’s future and the livelihoods of its employees.
The Statesman, which owns UNI, described the development as an unprecedented act and characterised it as an attack on media freedom in India.
