New Delhi, Mar 08: The Supreme Court today permitted the centre to remove all unauthorised constructions, inside and outside the Red Fort, ahead of the renovation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The permission was granted by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare and Justices A R Lakshmanan and S H Kapadia on a plea by Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.
Sorabjee drew the attention of the court to its earlier order staying the renovation work on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by Rajeev Sethi and others, alleging that international norms on conservation of heritage monuments were not being followed.
The attorney general said the court had then directed the constitution of an expert committee to formulate guidelines for renovation of heritage monuments. Since the constitution of the committee was likely to take some more time, he urged the court to permit the government to at least remove the unauthorised constructions inside and outside the monument.
The court agreed to the request and permitted the government to remove the unauthorised structures in accordance with the law.
Bureau Report