In Delhi's Lodhi-era park inside 'Gumti of Shaikh Ali', no badminton or basketball courts, rules SC
The top court had previously directed the Delhi government to issue a fresh notification to declare the Lodhi-era monument "Gumti of Shaikh Ali" a protected monument under law.
A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah further directed the authorities against any commercial activity, including kiosks or shops in the area.
The top court was also assured that the park, comprising four quadrants, would be maintained and beautified for it to retain its natural beauty and might be used for the benefit of the general public.
"The only direction which needs to be given here is that it should not be used for any other purpose and no activity such as construction of badminton court, basketball court, etc., be made considering the limitations of the area itself," the bench's July 31 order said.
The apex court further directed the court commissioner to coordinate with the department concerned, including the Horticulture Department, for maintenance and beautification of the park.
The matter was posted for August 28.
The dispute over the monument surfaced when the top court directed the Defence Colony resident welfare association to vacate its structures and pay ₹40 lakh to the archaeology department of the Delhi government as compensation for occupying the historical place since the 1960s.
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Defence Colony resident Rajeev Suri, who sought to have the Gumti declared a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act).
The plea was filed in the top court after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea in 2019.
The top court has been regularly passing directions to ensure removal of encroachments, illegal occupation, and beautification of the monument and its surrounding area.
Protected monuments under the AMASR Act benefit from legal protection, conservation efforts, and restrictions on activities around them to ensure their preservation for future generations.
Such monuments are safeguarded against damage, destruction, and unauthorised construction or excavation in their vicinity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim granted 40-day parole
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is convicted of rape and murder, walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail on Tuesday after he was granted a 40-day parole. Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is convicted of rape and murder, walked out of Rohtak's Sunaria jail on Tuesday after he was granted a 40-day parole. (HT file photo) Ram Rahim left the jail early in the morning and headed to the Sirsa headquarters of the dera in a motorcade. This is his 14th temporary release from the jail since 2020. 'The parole is as per the law and Ram Rahim Singh will stay at his Sirsa-headquartered dera during his parole,' Dera spokesperson and advocate Jitender Khurana said. The dera head, who will turn 58 on August 15, was convicted in 2017 for raping two of his disciples. He along with three others were also convicted in 2019 for the murder of a journalist more than 16 years ago. Ram Rahim's parole and furloughs have been a matter of contention and raised by the families of the victims. Following the grant of the 40-day parole, the dera head has exhausted the count of days he is allowed to stay out of the prison in a calendar year by getting temporary release mandated under the law for a convicted prisoner which is 10 weeks of parole and 21 days of furlough. He was granted a 21-day furlough in April and a 30-day parole in January, ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly elections. By the time he returns to Sunaria jail at the end of his parole, he would have been out of prison for three months this year. In all, he has spent 326 days out of jail so far. He was granted a 20-day parole on October 1 last year, days before the October 5 Haryana assembly polls. In August last year, he was granted a 21-day furlough. He was granted a three-week furlough from February 7, 2022, barely two weeks before the Punjab assembly elections. Sikh organisations, such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, have criticised the grant of relief to the dera head in the past. On most of the 13 occasions in the past when he was out of jail, he remained at the dera's ashram in Barnawa in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana high court had acquitted him and four others in the 2002 murder of the sect's former manager Ranjit Singh, citing 'tainted and sketchy investigation'. Earlier, a special CBI court had sentenced them to life imprisonment in the nearly 20-year-old murder case. It held the dera head guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy with his co-accused. The Dera Sacha Sauda has a number of followers in Haryana's Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Hisar districts and adjoining areas of Punjab and Rajasthan besides western UP. (With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru traffic alert: Avoid these key roads during VVIP visit today
In view of a high-profile VVIP visit today, extensive traffic arrangements have been put in place across Bengaluru till 4:30 pm. The VVIP is scheduled to cross multiple roads in the city, prompting authorities to issue a traffic advisory and urge residents and commuters to brace for major route changes. Bengaluru cops issued a traffic advisory as a VVIP movement is expected in the city.(HT Photo) ALSO READ | Bengaluru braces for traffic disruptions as thousands protest at Freedom Park today 'In view of VVIP visit to Bengalure city on 05.08.2025 parking of all types of vehicles is prohibited in the following roads. Further, it is requested to avoid following roads and use alternative roads,' the advisory, shared by the DCP for Traffic East, said. ALSO READ | Bengaluru prepares for VVIP visit: Traffic restrictions, parking rules announced Morning from 10:30 am to 11:30 am and evening from 03:30 pm to 04:30 pm, the following three roads are to be avoided: Old Airport Road M G Road Cubbon Road. 'The public are requested to co-operate,' the statement further read. ALSO READ | Delhi Police issues traffic advisory for August 5: Key routes near Rajghat, Ring Road affected from 8 am Traffic snarls and disruptions were observed heavily across Bengaluru in early July as thousands gathered at Freedom Park to take part in a large-scale protest, coinciding with the nationwide Bharat Bandh called by a coalition of central trade unions.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
9 minutes ago
- First Post
Russia exits nuclear treaty with US after Trump's submarine deployment citing 'Nato policies'
Russia has pulled out of the historic INF Treaty, blaming Donald Trump's move to deploy nuclear submarines near its borders and accusing the West of endangering its security. read more In a major response to US President Donald Trump's provocative move to deploy nuclear submarines near Russia, Moscow has formally announced its withdrawal from the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The Kremlin has blamed Trump's deployment of nuclear submarines and 'the actions of Western countries' for creating a 'direct threat' to Russia's security. The INF Treaty, signed in 1987 by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan, aimed to eliminate an entire class of ground-launched nuclear missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometres. It effectively banned short- and medium-range nuclear weapons, significantly reducing the risk of nuclear confrontation in Europe. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US already withdraw from the treaty Although the United States withdrew from the treaty in 2019 during Trump's first term, citing alleged Russian violations, Moscow had, at the time, refrained from deploying such missiles, stating it would only do so if Washington acted first. Following the US exit, Russia declared a self-imposed moratorium, choosing not to position INF-range missiles unless provoked by American deployments. That stance has now shifted. Russia's latest move comes after Trump announced that two US Navy nuclear submarines had been deployed to 'appropriate regions' near Russia, responding to what he called 'highly provocative' remarks by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. What did the Russian Foreign Ministry say? In a statement reported by Al Jazeera, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that evolving security dynamics in Europe and the Asia-Pacific have forced Moscow to reconsider its position on missile deployments. 'Since the situation is developing towards the actual deployment of US-made land-based medium- and short-range missiles in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the Russian Foreign Ministry notes that the conditions for maintaining a unilateral moratorium on the deployment of similar weapons have disappeared,' the statement read as quoted by Al Jazeera. Soon after, Medvedev blamed NATO's 'anti-Russian policy' for the decision and warned that Russia would take 'further steps' in response.
