Demolition of Corona Mata Temple: SC dismisses PIL with Rs 5,000 cost, says abuse of process
New Delhi(PTI): The Supreme Court has dismissed a PIL against the demolition of "Corona Mata Mandir", constructed by a woman along with her husband in Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh district, saying it was an "abuse of the process".
A bench of Justices S K Kaul and M M Sundresh junked the petition and imposed a cost of Rs 5,000 on the petitioner, noting that the land on which the temple was built was disputed.
The apex court said if the petitioner's contention is that this is her private land and the construction was done in accordance with the local norms, then she has not taken recourse to any appropriate legal remedy.
"So far, the petitioner has not constructed temples for all other possible diseases infecting the people of this country. The land itself was disputed as recorded. A police complaint was made in this behalf.
"We are of the view that this is clearly an abuse of the process of jurisdiction of this Court under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The writ petition is dismissed with costs of Rs 5,000 to be deposited with the Supreme Court Advocates on Record Welfare Fund within four weeks," the bench said.
The petitioner, Deepmala Srivastava, had moved the top court invoking the jurisdiction of the SC under Article 32 of the Constitution for infringement of Fundamental Right.
The "Corona Mata" temple was built at Juhi Shukulpur village in Pratapgarh, seeking divine grace to stay clear of the infection. The temple built on June 7 and was demolished on June 11 night.
Villagers alleged that it was demolished by police, which denied the charge, saying it was constructed on a disputed site and one of the parties involved in the dispute razed it.
Villagers said the temple was constructed by Lokesh Kumar Srivastava with the help of donations from local residents.
He installed the idol of "Corona Mata". Radhey Shyam Verma of the village was appointed its priest, after which people started offering prayers there.
Lokesh, who lives in Noida, jointly owns the land with Nagesh Kumar Srivastava and Jai Prakash Srivastava. He left the village for Noida after the temple was constructed.
Nagesh in his complaint to police said the temple was constructed to grab the land.
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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
