HC declines interim relief to Shankaracharya in defamation plea against Govindananda Saraswati
New Delhi, Aug 13: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant any interim relief to Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotish Peeth in Uttarakhand, in a defamation plea filed by him against Swami Govindananda Saraswati for allegedly making "objectionable" remarks against him.
Justice Navin Chawla, who was of the prima facie view that there was no defamation, said it was not appropriate to pass an injunction at this stage.
The high court issued notice to the defendants on the interim relief application filed by Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and listed the matter for further proceedings on August 29.
“These are in bad taste. I think he is just frustrated, but I don't think there is any defamation," the judge observed.
The court further told the counsel for Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, “You are a saint. Why are you worried about this? Saints should not be worried about all of this. They can’t be defamed by any of this. Saints command respect through their own deeds.”
Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, who had turned down the invitation to the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, has filed the defamation suit against Jyotirmath Trust’s Govindananda Saraswati, who made the alleged comments in July, and several other organisations.
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SC transfers plea on bridge collapse incidents in Bihar to Patna HC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday transferred to the Patna High Court a PIL that raised concerns about the safety and longevity of bridges in Bihar after several of them collapsed in recent months.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said the Patna High Court may monitor, preferably on a monthly basis, the steps taken to ensure structural and safety audits of bridges in the state.
The bench asked PIL petitioner and lawyer Brajesh Singh, state authorities and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to appear before the high court on May 14 when the future hearing date will be fixed there.
In a brief hearing, the state government said it has inspected around 10,000 bridges in the state.
“We have gone through the counter (affidavit). We are transferring the case to Patna (High Court). In the counter affidavit, they (state authorities) have given details of what they are doing…,” the bench said.
On November 18 last year, the top court had granted the last opportunity to the Bihar government and others to file its response to the PIL on the issue.
Prior to this, petitioner Singh had moved the court seeking its nod to bring on record various news reports and additional documents to highlight the dilapidated condition of bridges in Bihar.
The court on July 29, 2024 had sought responses from the Bihar government and others, including the NHAI on the plea.
The PIL sought directions for a structural audit and setting up of an expert panel to identify bridges that can be either strengthened or demolished based on its findings.
Besides the state and the NHAI, the top court in July last year had also issued notices to the road construction department's additional chief secretary, Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited chairperson and rural works department's additional chief secretary.
Ten incidents of bridge collapse have been reported in Bihar's Siwan, Saran, Madhubani, Araria, East Champaran and Kishanganj districts from May to July last year. Many claimed that heavy rainfall might have led to the incidents.
The PIL raised concerns about the safety and longevity of the bridges in the state that usually witnesses heavy rains and floods during the Monsoon.
Besides setting up a high-level expert panel, it also sought real-time monitoring of the bridges as per the parameters laid by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
The petitioner highlighted that Bihar is the most flood-prone state in India. The total flood-affected area in the state is 68,800 square km which is 73.06 per cent of its total geographical area, he mentioned.
"Hence, such routine accrual of the incident of falling bridges in Bihar is more disastrous as the lives of people at large is at stake. Therefore, the urgent intervention of this court is required to save the lives of people, as the under-construction bridges before its (their) accomplishment collapsed routinely," the plea read.
In view of the bridge collapse incidents, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has directed the road construction and rural works departments to conduct a survey of all old bridges in the state and identify those in need of immediate repair.
