HC rejects Central Vista halt petition; imposes Rs 1L fine on petitioner for 'motivated' plea
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New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected a petition seeking to suspend the Central Visa project and fined the petitioners Rs 1 lakh for filing a 'motivated' plea.
The High Court bench comprising Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh described the Central Vista project as "vital and essential", and allowed construction work on the project to continue.
The bench mentioned that the project was already upheld by the Supreme Court and the legality of the same was settled. It added that even the Delhi Disaster Management Authority allowed it to continue, with workers already present at the site and therefore said, "we see no reason to stop the work".
The petitioners, Anya Malhotra, a translator, and Sohail Hashmi, a historian and documentary filmmaker, had sought in their PIL that the Central Vista was not an essential activity and can be put on hold for the time being. They sought to halt the project in view of the coronavirus pandemic, but the court said the petition was "motivated" and "not a genuine PIL" and therefore imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioners.
The petition was filed through advocates Gautam Khazanchi and Pradyuman Kaistha.The court said under the contract awarded to the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, work had to be completed by November 2021 and, therefore, it should to be allowed to continue.
The project entails construction activities on Rajpath and the surrounding lawns from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The project includes a new Parliament House, a new residential complex for the prime minister and the vice president. It will also have new office buildings and a Central Secretariat to accommodate various ministries 'offices.