Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, move toward the Delhi High Court on November 12, 2018, thought-provoking the centre’s order, ending its 56-year-old lease and asking it to vacate the premises in the press area at ITO, New Delhi. The plea, challenging the October 30, 2018 order of the Urban Development Ministry ending the lease and asking it to vacate the premises by November 15, 2018, is scheduled to come up for hearing on November 13, 2018 before justice Sunil Gaur.
It also said the centre has cautioned them of action under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, if they failed to vacate the premises. One of the grounds mentioned in the L&DO order is that no press has been functioning in the premises for the last at least 10 years and that it is being used only for commercial purposes, in violation of the lease deed.
This allegation has been refuted by AJL in the petition filed by the firm and its company secretary. “The requirement of running a press cannot mean that all press and printing related activities have to necessarily be conducted at the same premises, that is, demised premises. The imperatives of prudent commercial business operations may necessitate that the petitioner company utilise the infrastructure or the premises at some other place, as a supplement to their operations in the present demised premises.”
1830
1640
630
54
101277