The office of National Herald newspaper won't be vacated from as of now, as the Supreme Court on Friday put a stay on the order of the Delhi High Court, which dismissed a plea filed by AJL and ordered eviction.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi also sought a reply from Land and Development Office within four weeks over an appeal filed by Associated Journal Ltd (AJL) challenging the high court order.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi was appearing for Associate Journals Limited (AJL) while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta was representing the Union of India (Centre).
In its February 28 order, the Delhi High Court directed the AJL to vacate the building while dismissing a plea filed by AJL in this regard.
AJL is the publisher of the National Herald newspaper. It is owned by Young India (YI), in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders.
On December 21 last year, the Delhi High Court's single bench had dismissed the petition filed by AJL, challenging the Centre's decision to cancel its lease and vacate the Herald House.
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The Centre, in its eviction order passed on October 30 last year, had mentioned the violation of lease conditions by AJL and had said that the Herald House's 56-year-old lease to AJL had ended.
The publisher had then approached the High Court on November 12 against the eviction order of the Union Urban Development Ministry. In the petition, it stated that the central government's decision to cancel the lease is "politically motivated".
AJL also stated that shutting down National Herald premises was a "deliberate attempt by the government to suppress and destroy the legacy of Nehru.