SC extends stay on Kanshi Ram memorial construction India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Expressing dissatisfaction over the Mayawati Government's plea, the Supreme Court on Friday extended the stay order on its earlier ruling for stoppage of work at Kanshi Ram Memorial Sthal in Lucknow. "The affidavit is not satisfactory. The question here has many, many burning issues," it observed during a brief hearing in the case," a Bench comprising Justices B N Agrawal and Aftab Alam noted. It said the question was whether one could spend so much of money from the state or public exchequer for the purpose. "Suppose today the legislature decides that 80 per cent of budgetary allocation should be spent on such works of memorials and statues...is it not justiciable," the Bench asked. "Serious questions arise in this petition...the cabinet and the legislature have to act under the Constitution," the Bench added. The next hearing in the case is on October 5th, and the parties are asked to file their responses to the affidavit by September 29th. In a detailed affidavit filed in response to the show cause notice issued on September 11, the state government had claimed it had the highest regard for the apex court and that it believed in carrying out its directions in "letter and spirit." On September 8, the apex court had ruled that no further construction activities should take place at the memorials which have cost the exchequer 2,600 crore rupees. However, media reports said construction activities were going on in full swing despite the court's directive, following which the bench had issued a show cause notice.