The pleas have remained unheard during six consecutive adjournments before three different benches of the Bombay High Court since September 21 last year. Srikrishna took over this case after two division benches excused themselves from hearing the pleas, and the matter was adjourned for the fifth time on Friday last.

Justice Srikrishna said if the counsels, from the respondent and petitioners' sides, are busy with other dates in this court or Supreme Court, they should look for alternative arrangements. ``More senior the counsel, busier the person is bound to be. But lack of availability ofcounsels cannot be ground for constant postponement of the case,'' the judge warned.

When the matter came up for directions today, it was informed that Advocate General C J Sawant would not be able to attend the court for some time due to ill-health. Senior counsel K K Venugopal, representing the state government, also pleaded that the final hearing may begin after February 15 so that he could adjust his dates in the apex court. Senior counsel V R Manohar, who represents the main respondent Girish Vyas, also requested that the matter be placed after February 1 since he was busy in yet another matter at Justice V N Arumugham's court.

However, Justice Srikrishna turned down all requests for further adjournments. He said the matter would be taken up forthright at 11 am on January 25. The pleas have aroused curiosity since they allege the urban development department and Pune Municipal Corporation committed irregularities to accommodate Vyas' complex. The PILs followed reports, including in this newspaper,which pointed out how the luxury apartment complex, all seven storeys of it, was up and ready in one of Pune's premier localities -- Prabhat Road -- much before July 29, 1998. A very significant date because it was only on that day that the department of urban affairs, which is directly under Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, issued a notification dereserving the land originally meant for a municipal school!