The High Court on Thursday suo motu took up a news item as a public interest petition and ordered issue of notices to the authorities concerned for filing counter affidavits with regard to raising the compound wall of the Charminar police station, in violation of heritage precincts rules.
A division bench comprising acting chief justice NV Ramana and justice Vilas V Afzulpurkar was dealing with the news item published in English dailies. After ordering notices to the authorities, it posted the case for hearing on April 1.
The news report said: “The Charminar police station has violated the heritage precincts rules by raising the compound wall, but the Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) is blissfully ‘unaware’ of it. The authorities concerned do not care to stop the violations taking place right under their nose.”
“Besides, Charminar, the 400-year-old heritage monument, is turning black due to air pollution and its plaster is peeling off due to constant vibrations caused by passing vehicles.”
Chief secretary, principal secretaries of home, municipal administration and urban development, archaeology and museums, DGP, city police commissioner, Hyderabad district collector, GHMC commissioner, member-secretary of AP Pollution Control Board, ASI director-general and director and station house officer of Charminar police station were named as respondents.