The counsel for state raised questions on the maintainability of the plea filed by the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) on the grounds that how could the state be held responsible for an act which was committed by an industrialist. The counsel for Uphaar raised the question of the maintainability of the plea saying that the petitioner should have come through a suit and compensation or damages cannot be ordered on the basis of the writ. A division bench, comprising of Justice R.C. Lahoti and Justice C.K. Mahajan, to whom the case was recently transferred, while fixing the hearing for December 11 and 12 directed the parties to raise objections to the question on maintainability, if they wished so by November 20.

It also directed AVUT, Central Government, Delhi Government, Delhi Vidyut Board, Delhi Police, Delhi Lt. Governor and Delhi Chief Minister, Centralised Accident and Trauma Services and other parties to file their synopsis by November 20.

HC reinstates ousted bar committee
Delhi High Court today reinstated the pre-enrolment committee of the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) which had been replaced by another committee by the acting chairman K.K. Mannan, following a `coup' against the constitutionally elected chairman K.K. Sood. A division bench, comprising of Justice Devinder Gupta and Justice N.G. Nandi, issued the order as a confusion had arisen on the enrolment of the new members to the BCD because of the presence of two pre-enrolment committees.

The bench also issued notice to all those on whom it had not been served. The court was acting on the petitions filed by Sood, against the BCD challenging his illegal ouster as the chairman, and the BCD, against its ousted chairman.