SC stays demolition notice of Nashik's Dargah, seeks report from Bombay HC on non-listing of plea
New Delhi, Apr 18 (PTI): The Supreme Court has stayed in the interim the demolition notice of the Nashik civic body for razing the Hazrat Saatpeer Sayed Baba dargah and sought a report from the Bombay high court on non-listing of the shrine's plea.
According to the sources, the structure was razed by civic body personnel hours before the court hearing.
The civic body's action against the dargah at Kathe Galli in Nashik was reportedly carried out during the intervening night of April 15 and 16.
The hearing in apex court took place on April 16 noon.
A bench of Justices P S Narasimah and Joymala Bagchi had then noted the petition was filed before the high court on April 7 but not taken up for hearing.
"In the meanwhile, there shall be a stay of notice dated April 1, 2025 issued by the respondent number 1 -Nashik Municipal Corporation as prayed for," the bench ordered and posted the matter on April 21.
The court's "extraordinary measure" came after senior advocate Navin Pahwa, who was representing the dargah management, claimed despite efforts, the matter was not listed in the high court.
"We have taken this extraordinary measure in view of the specific statement of the senior counsel that efforts were made every day for getting the case listed. We are unsure of the statement made and that the high court would not have listed the case despite repeated requests. This is a serious statement and the counsel shall take and feel responsibility for the consequence of such a statement," the bench said in its April 16 order.
The top court then directed the registrar general of the Bombay high court to send a report about the listing of the petition.
The apex court, while seeking response of the Nashik Municipal Corporation, noted Pahwa pointing out an "urgency in this matter" as the property in question, a religious structure, could be demolished.
He submitted that a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution was filed before the high court on April 7, 2025, and he had been waiting for the matter to be listed since April 8.
"It is specifically stated that the high court has declined to list the matter ever since," the top court said, recording Pahwa's submission.
The bench added, "We are unable to understand as to what transpired from April 9, till today. Counsel submit that they have been trying every day."
The bench then went on to seek the response of the municipal body and other authorities.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Dense fog envelops Delhi-NCR; air quality remains 'very poor'
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog enveloped large parts of Delhi-NCR on Thursday morning, significantly reducing visibility and disrupting traffic across the region.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense fog conditions prevailed over the city based on the 6 am observation. Visibility at Palam Airport dropped sharply to 150 metres, while Safdarjung Airport reported visibility of 200 metres.
The dense fog affected road traffic in several areas, with vehicles seen moving slowly on major arterial roads and highways connecting Delhi with neighbouring cities, such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida. Morning commuters faced delays as low visibility prompted motorists to exercise caution.
According to the officials, the current visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Palam is 100 metres. General visibility is expected to increase to 150 metres in the next 30 minutes and will gradually improve thereafter. No further reductions are expected.
Weather officials said foggy conditions are likely to persist during early mornings in the coming days as winter intensifies. The IMD has forecast dense fog on Thursday and Friday.
Meanwhile, air quality in the national capital remained in the 'very poor' category, with the air quality index (AQI) recorded at 358, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
On the weather front, the minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 9.0 degrees Celsius, which is 0.9 notches above the season's average. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 23 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
The relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent at 8.30 am.
As per the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.
