Bombay HC raps state for dragging allocation of plot for MNLU

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has rapped the state for dragging the issue of allotment of land for the Maharashtra National Law University in Aurangabad.

The court was irked after it was informed that an alternate plot of land proposed to be allotted for the university had been given to a school.

The state said that the minister was aware of the urgency for allotment of land for the university and was working on securing part of the land given to the school for the university.

 A division bench of justices Bhushan Gavai and Bharti Dangre was hearing a writ petition filed by senior advocate Satish Talekar on behalf of Lawyers Forum for General Utility and Litigating against the government’s lethargy to allot a 60-acre for one of the three National Law University (NLU) sanctioned in Maharashtra at Aurangabad. The other two approved NLU’s are in Nagpur and Mumbai.

When the matter was heard, government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani informed the court that a 17-acre plot of land had been allotted at Aurangabad but it was falling short of the stipulated 60-acre as a part of the land had already been allotted to Walmiki School.

Vagyani said that the state has convinced the school management to part with a portion of land to complete the shortfall.

However, the bench was not satisfied and said that the delay on the part of the state would result in the demise of the university and even chided the state for not taking sufficient steps to address the problem.

Vagyani then informed that the education minister was also aware of the problem and was taking measures to address the issue on an urgent basis. The court accepted the contentions and posted the matter for after the vacation.