HC seeks SAI, JLN Stadium replies on plea for conducting Ramleela, Dussehra mela

The Delhi High Court Friday sought responses of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and administrator of the JLN Stadium on a plea by a committee seeking to allow it to book a ground in front of the stadium for Ramleela and Dussehra mela celebration.

Justice Vibhu Bakhru said the administrator of the stadium shall personally file the affidavit and the original file of the booking records shall be produced before the court on the next date of hearing on July 30.

The court was hearing the plea filed by the Dakshin Delhi Dharmik Ramlila Samiti, seeking direction to the SAI and the administrator of the Jawahar Lal Nehru (JLN) Stadium to allow it to book the ground at Gate No. 2 parking area in front of the stadium for Ramleela and Dussehra mela celebration within three weeks.

Senior advocate Ravi Gupta and lawyer Gaurang Gupta, representing the committee, submitted that a letter was sent to authorities on April 8, requesting for booking the venue for Ramleela and Dusshera mela and they responded that the committee may book the venue through their online portal as per availability.

Thereafter, the committee tried to book the venue through the online portal but could not do so as the venue was not available for selection.

The plea said when the committee filed an RTI application, it came to know that authorities have stopped taking bookings for the space due to administrative reasons.

It alleged that for some reason authorities were trying to stop them from booking the space and even from the reply of stadium it was clear that a number of non-sporting events have been held there in last six months and several others are lined up for the upcoming months.

The committee said it has been organising the programmes at a large scale for last 28 years and in early 2000's, it started the Ramleela event at the JLN stadium.