Apex court stays HC order of stay on Games Village work

Solicitor General G E Vahanvati, appearing on behalf of the government, urged the apex court bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan to grant an ex-parte stay as the High Court’s directive would “seriously jeopardise the very idea of holding the 2010 Games in Delhi. He contended that the government has already invested Rs 500 crore on Games-related works. Vahanvati said the High Court had erroneously come to the conclusion that construction was being carried out on the riverbed. The High Court had also disregarded the voluminous scientific literature and experts’ opinion that the site in question was not located on the riverbed, the court was told.

The SC bench agreed to temporarily suspend the High Court directive and asked the latter not to pass any directions till further orders.

The matter will now be heard on December 15 by the apex court.

Questioning the High Court’s verdict following a host of PILs filed to oppose the construction of the Games Village, the government counsel also pointed to the “unusual and unconventional” manner in which the two judges of the HC bench — Justices A K Sikri and Rekha Sharma — delivered their verdicts separately after hearing the matter together.