SC dismisses plea against sports complex in Ahmedabad

The Supreme Court today junked a PIL challenging a resolution passed by the Gujarat government allotting land for the construction of a sports complex in Ahmedabad.
A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra dismissed the plea filed by a former minister seeking quashing and setting aside of the resolution, which had earmarked a 4,02,294 square feet plot to a private firm for sports stadium.
While dismissing the plea, the bench said "you are a political personality. Why didn't you challenge it when the work order for construction of stadium was given."
The bench considered the fact that the stadium has already been built and said the delay in challenging such actions of the state cannot be condoned in PIL jurisdiction.

The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Congress leader and former minister Babubhai Meghaji Shah who had moved against the Gujarat High Court order. The High Court had rejected his PIL on the ground of unexplained delay of over six years in approaching the court.
Shah, in his plea through advocate Anjana Chandrashekhar, had opposed the construction of the sports complex on the land where Abad Dairy existed near Kankaria Lake in the city.
He had alleged Rs 1,000 crore scam in the deal of the prime land which was handed over to a company on lease to develop the sports complex at a "throw away" price.

Shah had also alleged that the government had handed over the land, valued at Rs 144.5 crore in 2011, without following proper procedure to the company on a token rent of one rupee per square foot for the next 35 years.