5-star tents will remain till Jan 18, rules SC

NEW DELHI, JAN 16: The controversial five-star tents set up by international tour operator firm Cox and Kings will stay at Maha Kumbh Mela...

NEW DELHI, JAN 16: The controversial five-star tents set up by international tour operator firm Cox and Kings will stay at Maha Kumbh Mela site at Allahabad till January 18 when the Divisional Commissioner will hear their objection against cancellation of their allotment, the Supreme Court said today.

Disposing of two petitions filed by Cox and Kings, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice A S Anand directed the Commissioner to hear the objections of the tour operator against the cancellation order of January 10 passed by the Mela Officer uninfluenced by the High Court order of January 12.

"Till the matter comes up before the divisional commissioner, the direction passed by mela officer at Kumbh Mela on January 10 shall not be implemented," the Bench comprising Justice Anand, Justice R C Lahoti and Justice Shivaraj V Patil said.

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The Bench ordered that these special leave petitions filed by the tour operator would be treated as objections by the divisional commissioner, who would commence the hearing on January 18 at 1000 hours.

It said, "If the petitioners do not appear before him, it will be open for the Commissioner to pass appropriate orders."

The international tour operator had set up 74 tents with five star lodging facilities for high profile guests at the Maha Kumbh.

The main grievance of the petitioners was that they were not given any notice by the mela authorities nor any opportunity to place their stand before the order was passed.

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Advocate general of Uttar Pradesh said the inmates of the tented accommodation set up by Cox and Kings included the crew from BBC, which shot pictures of women taking bath at the Maha Kumbh, which the sadhus objected to.

In view of an emerging law and order situation and to keep the Kumbh going smoothly, the authorities passed the order.

However, when it was proposed by the court that the petitioners could be given a chance to place their objections to the allotment cancellation order, the advocate general said the government would have no objection if such an order was passed.

On January 12, the Allahabad high court had ordered Kumbh Mela authorities to maintain status quo till today in the allotment of land to Cox and Kings, while coming down heavily on the authorities for allotting land for commercial purposes.

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The high court had said that no hotel business should be allowed in the mela precincts and accommodation could be provided only for religious and spiritual purposes and asked Cox and Kings and one Anil Agarwal, to conduct their business according to religious norms.

The court had expressed surprise over allotment of land to the tourist operator in sector nine of mela area without auction or tender for a mere Rs three lakh.