A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan issued this direction on an allegation by Lucknow resident Sangam Lal Pandey who told the court that there were four temples of British vintage inside the jail premises.

Pandey said one of these temples has already been demolished by the government while the other three would be demolished along with the jail itself for the construction of an ecological park. The state government had proposed to shift the jail outside Lucknow.

While the Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel Shafeeq Chandra Mishra denied the existence of any temple in the jail premises, Pandey showed photographs of the temples existing within the jail to the court

court order came on a PIL moved by lawyer Sangam Lal Pandey. It relates to the site of the recently demolished Lucknow district jail, where a 70-acre garden is proposed to be laid in the name of the founder of the ruling BSP.

Pleading for urgency, Pandey urged Justice Pradeep Kant to hear his petition. Responding to his plea, Justice Kant held a special court at his residence along with Justice RR. Tripathi.

Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium submitted before Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul that the granting of permanent commission to women officers on short service commission in the Indian Army is not possible.

The court was hearing the plea of officers who have filed a public interest petition challenging the government’s proposal of September, 2008, to bypass them for future grant of permanent commission.
Currently, women are inducted in the Army as officers under the SSC for a maximum period of 14 years though their male counterparts are eligible to receive permanent commission after five years.

The remark came after the bench read UP Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta’s reply to the court’s Sep 11 notice on media reports.
“It is not (as) simple as that,” observed the bench, refusing to dispose of the matter on the basis of the government’s reply.

Court said it needs to be examined “whether such huge public expenditure can be made for memorials.

Nizamuddin Wani, principal district and sessions judge Bandipora has been posted on deputation as judicial member of sales tax department.

Lucknow bench of the Allahabad HC comprising Justice Pradip Kant and Justice Sabehul Hasnain passed this order on PILs filed by Anupama Singh and others challenging the special CBI court order dated June 5, 2007 by which the proceedings were dropped against the two in the case.

Senior advocate Satich Chandra Mishra contended before the bench of Justices B.D. Ahmed and Valmiki Mehta that the appeal filed by the Income Tax Department against its Tribunal’s order giving her a clean chit is pending for the last one and a half years as the department has taken numerous adjournments.

The court, however, posted the matter for Feb 24 after hearing the government’s submission. The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Income Tax Department challenging the Income Tax Tribunal’s decision not to tax the movable and immovable properties gifted to Mayawati by workers of her birthday celebrations in 2004.

Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice Manmohan asked Archaeological Survey of India last week to submit its reply.
The court asked Archaeological Survey of India whether or not the sprawling 350-year-old mosque, built by the wife of Mughal king Shahjahan, was a protected monument.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by residents who complained that unauthorized construction was going on in the area.
The petitioner, the Farash Khana Residents Welfare Association, pleaded that the illegal structure be demolished.

Court said the Government and the civic bodies should recruit these teachers on the salary and allowances of general teachers. It said these teachers would have to be appointed within six months of the directions.

Later the Court summoned the Education Secretary of the Delhi Government to know what the Government was doing for bringing in schools physically-challenged students who had not been enrolled so far.

The Bench passed the directions on a PIL by a non-government organization alleging that there was absence of trained teachers for physically challenged students in schools run by the government and the civic bodies.

Justice P. Jyothimani said the notice would be returnable in two weeks.
Nalini said that nearly a year had passed after a HC order on her earlier petition, but the government had not reconstituted the Advisory Board. Her request for premature release was not at all considered.

In its order, the court had quashed the proceedings of the board and directed the government to reconsider her request for premature release by a validly constituted board and to submit a report to the government.

On receipt of the report, the government should pass appropriate orders. The petitioner prayed the court for a direction to the authorities to constitute a validly convened advisory board and to submit a report to the government and take a decision in the light of the orders passed by the court.