Seek nod to construct classrooms in school in Khirki: HC to MCD
Delhi High Court
has ordered Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to take immediate corrective steps.
It also directed the civic body to seek necessary permissions from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the construction of the classrooms.
HC's observation came while dealing with the case of a corporation-run primary school in Khirki village, which shares a wall with the tomb of Yusuf Qattal, a Sufi saint.
"If the school is to run, it will require classrooms as well, apart from the facilities for which permission for repair/renovation has been granted.
It is beyond comprehension as to how a school can run without classrooms and only with the facilities of a boundary wall, toilet block and drinking water space alone," a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said.
You Can Also Check:
Delhi AQI
|
Weather in Delhi
|
Bank Holidays in Delhi
|
Public Holidays in Delhi
The court was hearing a plea in relation to the school, which was constructed in 1949 and shared a wall with the tomb. The counsel for the petitioner, Khirki Village Residents Welfare Association, submitted that after a span of 60 years, they felt it was necessary for the school to be reconstructed, as the population of Khirki village and adjoining areas had increased.
"We gather an impression that the authorities, both of ASI and MCD, do not appear to be serious in getting the sanction for reconstruction/repair of the school being run by the civic body," HC noted, adding it was "astonished" that an order passed by this court, which was to be complied with within six weeks, still remained to be enforced.
"It is beyond our comprehension as to how the authorities are acting in this manner, both those of MCD and ASI, risking initiation of contempt proceedings.
Such a situation cannot be approved of by the court," it said after being informed that ASI had granted permission for the repair/renovation of existing structures — porta cabin, boundary wall, toilet block and drinking water space at the school.
However, the counsel for the petitioner pointed out that it does not include any permission for the construction of classrooms.
HC then directed MCD to move an application seeking the requisite permission of ASI for the construction of the classrooms. It added that if such a proposal is made, it should be considered by the authorities, keeping in mind the necessity of running the school, which cannot be granted without the classes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
4 hours ago
- Economic Times
Delhi HC seeks Centre's reply on plea for women's entry in armed forces via CDS
A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking women's entry into the armed forces through the Combined Defence Services (CDS). The petition argues that denying women this opportunity violates their fundamental right to practice any profession. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A petition filed in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought women's entry in the armed forces through Combined Defence Services so that "country is not deprived of officers like Col Sofiya Qureshi ".A division bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notice to the Centre and sought its response on the plea."If women are denied entry in armed forces through CDS, country would be deprived of officers like Col Sofiya Qureshi, who gained national attention during Operation Sindoor," the petition petition, filed by one Kush Kalra, argued not allowing women in the armed forces through CDS was violation of fundamental right to practice any profession, granted under the Constitution."A career as a permanent commissioned officer of the armed forces is considered to be one of the most respected and exciting professions in India, prohibition on women to apply for this profession violates their right to practice profession," it claimed.
News18
6 hours ago
- News18
Delhi HC seeks Centres reply on plea for womens entry in armed forces via CDS
Agency: PTI Last Updated: New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) A petition filed in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought women's entry in the armed forces through Combined Defence Services so that 'country is not deprived of officers like Col Sofiya Qureshi". A division bench comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notice to the Centre and sought its response on the plea. 'If women are denied entry in armed forces through CDS, country would be deprived of officers like Col Sofiya Qureshi, who gained national attention during Operation Sindoor," the petition claimed. The petition, filed by one Kush Kalra, argued not allowing women in the armed forces through CDS was violation of fundamental right to practice any profession, granted under the Constitution. view comments First Published: August 06, 2025, 20:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Keeladi and the contesting of Indian history
We are living in great times with the greatest of crafty wielders with purvey on politics and power of judging truths. We are passing through one of the most interesting moments of time in terms of redefining the history and civilisation with the dominant narrative of culture, society, science and industrial activities in the Indian subcontinent. The penultimate journey of time and destiny of truth, buried under, could not have surfaced despite the heat and dust of politics and chosen the contestants to this cultural and historical narrative, in the form of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu, the imagined or constructed political-ideological inheritors of the cultural-historical legacy of Vedic period and the Dravidian hypothesis of the history of Indian subcontinent. Keeladi — should it receive its due — could shake the foundations of the north-centric narrative and understanding of the south simply as inheritors of history, culture, science, technology and civilisation from the north. The findings at the 100-acre site located in Keeladi, a village 12 km distance from Madurai in Tamil Nadu are not only exceptional but also compelling in terms of evidence that can offer rare insights about the flourishing urban civilisation from the south (PTI) The findings at the 100-acre site located in Keeladi, a village 12 km distance from Madurai in Tamil Nadu are not only exceptional but also compelling in terms of evidence that can offer rare insights about the flourishing urban civilisation from the south. The discovery of iron slag in Keeladi indicating the practice of iron smelting, further reaffirms the advanced technological capabilities of the civilisation. Sivagalai, dating 3345 BC, not only establishes the iron age of South India before the Vedic period but also challenges the Western understanding of Anatolia by the Hittites as the world's first iron age. All these developments are unsettling, not surprisingly for the BJP at the Union government in New Delhi and its ideological patron, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur. The result is the growing shadow over the integrity and functioning of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the signs of wilting of the ace national archaeological body under the heat of power to dampen down the historical, cultural and civilisational past about India – a rare southern narrative. Why? What is the bone of contention? The politics of Keeladi excavation(s) lies in the time bracket of 8th century BCE to 3rd century CE given by Amarnath Ramakrishna, the superintending archaeologist then in-charge of the Keeladi excavations until 2017. He submitted his report in 2023 and two years later, in early 2025, the ASI has asked him to revise the report focused on review of dates and with scientific AMS details. The Keeladi project survived inordinate and deliberate delays due to financial and administrative orders governing the Keeladi site and the potential impact of contamination of the samples during the phase I & II. Then comes the stunning setback to the Keeladi project with the declaration of ASI that there are no significant findings and the decision to halt further excavations, echoed by the next superintending archaeologist who replaced Amarnath Ramakrishna. It is the intervention of the Madras high court, which had asked the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archeology (TNSDA) to take over the Keeladi excavations, that not only rescued the Keeladi operations but also enabled the sustenance of further excavations on going at the Keeladi site up to phase X until 2024 and corroborate with the developments in Sivagalai (since 2019) and Adichanallur (2004) to suggest that the south had entered the Iron Age over 2000 years before north India. Above all, reaffirming that there are many truths about what we consider as Indian civilisation by revealing Indus Valley Civilisation and Vaigai River Civilisation are not only too close to be isolated by time and space and could even be contemporary to each other. Tamili (Tamil-Brahmi) inscribed potsherds, traces of trade links with the north (including foreign territories like Afghanistan and Rome) and signs of advanced urban life were found. One of the most significant developments following the Keeladi excavations is the pushing back of the Sangam era. Keeladi was a literate and urban civilisation with established industrial, trade and commercial activities revealing the characteristics of a highly organised society. In the process tumbling the centuries old prejudicial construction and popular imagination of south simply as an inheritor and the north as source of everything from culture, science, technology, urbanisation and the quintessence of the Indian knowledge systems. It is one thing to shower accolades or punish Amarnath Ramakrishna in the ways of subsequent transfers and postings everywhere except Keeladi. He has refused to change the dateline and prepared to defend his report whenever the situation demands with an appropriate scope and opportunities even within the department. It is another thing to acknowledge that Keeladi excavations have moved on to a stage that neither the ASI nor the Union government can halt the excavations and withhold the findings from the public due to the mission of the Tamil Nadu government and the stake holding people of Tamil Nadu. This is the game changer because of the scientific orientation of the TNSDA combined with the political determination of the Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu. It is highly relevant to note here that three laboratories, using – Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) – dated the iron implements from Sivagalai between 2427 BC and 3345 BC. Six carbon samples from Keeladi tested using AMS technique at Beta Lab, Florida, USA were dated between 580 BC and 300 BC. The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow and Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad were engaged in using the OSL method. The scientific analysis and the credibility of these laboratories are highly significant to this discussion and further debate on this subject. All these developments in Keeladi, Sivagalai and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu indicate the enormous potential to review our own biases and prejudices in the construction of history and civilization in India. The ASI and the Centre require to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the Indian culture, history and civilisational sources than being restrictive within a set of geographical-political-ideological premises. More importantly, the Centre should acknowledge and recognise the role and functions of TNSDA which is governed by the Tamil Nadu Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act,1966 created by the assent of the President of India. The complementing energy and resources of the institutions like ASI and TNSDA should be renewed rather than being pitted against each other. The Tamil Nadu government should broaden the basis of its vision and extend the methodology to other southern states as a way of extending links with the other Iron Age findings in states like Karnataka and Telengana in order to overcome the historical neglect and cultural prejudice in writing/presenting the history and civilisation of India. Politics is intrinsic to science, technology, culture, society and history. It is too naïve to imagine science and history without politics. It is relevant to recall here Pericles, a Greek statesman associated with the ushering in of Athenian Golden Age and one of the greatest orators in history who maintained that 'Just because you do not take interest in politics does not mean politics won't take an interest in you'. ( Manivannan is a scholar-social activist in areas of education, human rights and sustainable development through an initiative 'Multiversity.')
