The Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow bench on Sunday ordered that a petition contesting the partial demolition of a lawyer’s chamber be joined with an existing public interest litigation on the same subject to prevent contradictory judicial rulings.
A specially constituted two-judge bench comprising Justice Jaspreet Singh and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi issued the directive while scheduling the combined matter for further hearing on October 26.
Chief Justice Directs Formation of Special Bench
The plea was moved by advocate Rajesh Kumar Dixit, who sought an urgent judicial restraint preventing the state administration and municipal authorities from tearing down his work chamber. Chief Justice directives led to the establishment of the special bench to consider the emergency petition on Sunday.
Demolition Halted Amid Protests by Lawyers
During the proceedings, municipal corporation counsel Shailendra Singh Chauhan submitted to the bench that civic personnel had already brought down a portion of Dixit’s chamber. Chauhan stated that the drive had to be halted mid-way after a substantial gathering of lawyers assembled at the site to stage a protest against the action.
Matters Consolidated to Avoid Conflicting Orders
The judges were further apprised that an identical grievance was already under judicial scrutiny through a previously filed public interest litigation. Noting the overlapping claims and the need to maintain consistency across judicial pronouncements, the bench directed the registry to tag Dixit’s matter alongside the pending public interest litigation for the upcoming proceedings.
