SC reprimands UP govt for criticising Allahabad HC

The Supreme Court today pulled up the Uttar Pradesh government for making allegations of bias against the Allahabad High Court.

A bench comprising Justices B N Aggarwal and G S Singhvi reacted sharply to the allegations made by Satish Chandra Mishra, former minister and close aide of Chief Minister Mayawati, when he tried to assert before the court that the High Court was passing orders against the state government.

The Judges said, "Such allegations should not be made against the High court. Passing orders against a party des not show animus or bias." The Supreme Court was hearing an application, seeking to restrain the Mayawati government from demolishing the jail premises in Lucknow for construction of the Kanshi Ram and B R Ambedkar park in Gomti Nagar area of the state capital.

The apex court, refused to grant an interim stay against the demolition of jail as the High court has already passed an order of status quo in May, directing the government neither to demolish jail premises nor to reconstruct anything.

Mr Mishra, however, submitted before the court that new jail has already been constructed in Lucknow at a cost of Rs 300 crore and prisoners were being shifted to the new jail. The old jail was over crowded and not big enough to accommodate the increasing number of undertrails and other accused.

The apex court adjourned the hearing of the matter and directed that the matter will come up for hearing in the normal course.

Earlier, counsel for the petitioner pleaded for a blanket stay against all demolitions and constructions in Lucknow till the final disposal of the petition pending in the Supreme Court.

The Mayawati government was also seeking the transfer of all the petitions pending in the High Court to the Supreme Court for speedy disposal of all the petitions filled against the state government.

Senior counsel Mukul Rohtagi also appeared for the state government.

The apex court refused to pass any blanket order as the application contained prayer only against the demolition of the jail in Lucknow.