Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has stopped the state from demolishing the construction carried out on a contentious piece of land, near Solan, leased out to yoga guru Ramdev’s trust Patanjali Yogpeeth.
A double bench of the court consisting of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Kuldip Singh, today, admitted a petition by Patanjali Yogpeeth that has challenged the governments’ unilateral action to taking possession of the contentious property.
Serving notice on the government, (CMP No. 1375 of 2013) the court besides barring the state for demolishing any structure has restrained it from changing the nature or possession of the land in question.
The petition (CWP No. 803 of 2013A) pleads before the court that the government had taken illegal possession of 96.5 bighas of land near Sadhupul, Solan for which Patanjali Yogpeeth following the process of law had duly entered into a lease deed in 2010.
The trust has claimed that about Rs 11 Cr had been spent on developing the land of which it has been dispossessed.
On short notice, the government on February 22 had forcefully taken possession of the property, where the trust is said to be developing a yoga center cum Ayurvedic hospital.
Land allotted to the yoga guru’s trust by the previous BJP government did form part of a set of charges that the congress party, then in the opposition, had leveled; holding that public assets had been given out much below market values for commercial ventures.
The land at a scenic spot on the road to Chail, a tourist township, was given out on a one time lease payment of Rs 17 lakhs for a period of 99 years. A token yearly lease of Re 1 was also imposed.
The leased land belonged to erstwhile royal family of Patiala and was donated to the government by Cpt. Amarinder Singh’s family in 1956 for setting up a children’s home.
The court has listed April 24 for further hearing in the case.
Photo: Amit
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
Congress idiots have launched a jihad against Ramdev baba since he launched a crusade against their misdeeds.Untill then they drank from his feet.
They don’t have the guts to confiscate properties of criminals,antinationals and corrupts in the country.
Truly said Amit.
chasing Ramdev & protecting Priyanka Vadra land in Himachal………..is a dynasty licking politics being played in Himachal…….mark my word the new congress govt has to pay a very heavy price of this move in the coming days.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and Kaul Singh were sitting in the first rows of Ramdev’s Yoga camp, lifting their legs and bending their backs, when he had come earlier to the hill State. Now they lead entire Congress to be against Yoga and Ramdev since he talks of corruption and black money. Can anyone suggest Virbhadra Singh to cancel the massive land lease to Sai Baba, Sri-Sri Ravishankar and Radha Swamis also. Or he would do it only who would talk against corrupt practices of politicians.