Those owning huge showrooms can’t be slum dwellers, says HC
Lucknow: In a major blow to those who file GST and income tax return and also have huge properties in posh areas of the city, Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday dismissed their petitions which sought retention of their properties on “government land” along the Kukrail river in Akbarnagar area.
The court’s order has paved the way for LDA to demolish the petitioners’ commercial properties and business establishments, including those housed in multi-storied constructions.
Dismissing the bunch of petitions, a division bench of justice Vivek Chaudhary and justice OP Shukla said, “The petitioners are not suffering any of the challenges faced by the actual slum dwellers of the said slum. In the given circumstances, it is not possible for this court to accept that the showrooms/workshops of petitioners can be called as existing in a slum area.”
The bench added, “At best, the petitioners exist at the edge of Akbarnagar slum area and not in the said slum area. Similarly, the facts that they have had enough money to spend on illegal construction of huge showrooms/workshops, are paying their GST and filing income tax returns and/or most of them are having their own residences in good and posh localities of city and/or other properties, we are unable to hold them as slum dwellers.”
