HC seeks report on SP's convention from Lucknow DM

The Allahabad High Court today sought a report from Lucknow district magistrate on whether necessary conditions were fulfilled while granting permission for ruling Samajwadi Party's ongoing national convention at a park here.
A Lucknow bench of Justices V K Shukla and B K Srivastava, which was hearing a plea seeking cancellation of permission for the event at Janeshwar Mishra park, however, refused to interfere on the ground that the convention had already started yesterday and would culminate tomorrow.
In its petition, local lawyer Manendra Nath Rai submitted that the park was categorised as an eco-garden and alleged that there was violation of terms and conditions while granting permission for the event.

He sought direction that the October 4 order of the DM granting permission to organise the party's national convention at the park be quashed.
He also prayed that heavy fine be imposed on the party and authorities as lakh of people would assemble at the convention site and disturb the ecology.
Advocate General Vijay Bahadur Singh, however, argued that it was merely an apprehension of the petitioner that ecology would be disturbed. He said that the terms and conditions were neither violated nor were likely to be violated.
The court sought a report from Lucknow DM asking whether terms and conditions were fulfilled or not in the grant of permission. It directed that the DM should also produce video footage or photographs as supporting material.

The bench said that other respondents may file their reply while directing to list the petition after six weeks.