SC allows renaming of Amethi

A bench comprising Justices R V Raveendran and H L Gokhale said the high court bench which passed the interim order on August 18 should have taken into account the order of August 11 of its own high court given by another bench.

The apex court quashed the Allahabad High Court’s interim order staying the creation of Chatrapati Sahuji Maharaj Nagar district by renaming Amethi.

“Judicial propriety demanded that the high court should have considered the final judgment of August 11. It could not have taken a different stand,” the bench said.

Another division bench of the HC comprising Justice Uma Nath Singh and Justice Satish Chandra had dismissed a petition on August 11 challenging the creation of the new district.

The Uttar Pradesh government had moved the apex court challenging the August 18 interim order of the Lucknow Bench of the high court which stayed restoration of the new district till March 31 next year or till further orders.

Manoj Kumar Rastogi and Ved Prakash Singh had filed a PIL before the Allahabad High Court opposing the creation of the new district in the name of Dalit icon Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj.

With the creation of the new district, Amethi will lose its identity and would be known in the name of Dalit reformer.

The high court took note of an earlier government notification of Dec 22, 2009 whereby creation of any new district was banned until March 31, 2011.

Drawing the attention of the court to the notification, the petitioners sought to point out that neither a new district could have been created nor boundaries of nagar palikas (municipal corporations), revenue villages, tehsils (sub-districts), police stations, and districts could be changed on or after January 2010 and before March 31, 2011.

‘Vacate schools occupied by forces’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Union government to ensure that all schools and hostels of educational institutions occupied by the Army and paramilitary forces are vacated within two months, DHNS reports.

A bench comprising Justices B Sudarshan Reddy and S S Nijjar said due to the occupation of school and hostel buildings, a large number of students are deprived of proper education in the country. During the hearing of the issue relating to the trafficking of 76 children from Manipur and Assam to Tamil Nadu, the SC directed the Centre to ensure that no children below the age of 14 are left without being educated.