Delhi High Court dismisses RIL writ petition in Le Meridien case
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Oct 11, 2017, 12.14 AM IST
NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a writ petition filed by Reliance Industries (RIL), seeking the quashing of eviction proceedings in the Le Meridien case.
CJ International, operator of the Le Meridien hotel, and civic body New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) are engaged in a bitter legal dispute over non-payment of dues, which NDMC has pegged at Rs 605 crore. Reliance Industries is one of the occupants of Le Meridien's commercial tower. In a hearing presided by Justice JR Midha, the court dismissed RIL’s petition.
“The petition was dismissed and it was observed that it was a proxy litigation and that it has no locus standi,” NDMC's counsel Yoginder Handoo said, adding that RIL had also been asked to deposit Rs 2 lakh in 10 days, and that the matter will be taken up on October 27. RIL spokespersons couldn't be reached for comments.
Last month, NDMC had issued notices to companies, including Reliance Industries and Saab India Technologies, which have their offices in the commercial tower of hotel Le Meridien in Delhi, seeking details of the nature and extent of their occupation of the property. NDMC’s notices to companies occupying the commercial tower, issued on September 13 following the court order, had asked them to provide information and documents regarding the nature of arrangement of their occupation and date of entry on the premises. As many as 27 companies had approached the court against NDMC’s sealing of the commercial tower.
Their contention was that the sealing orders were not addressed to them but to CJ International, which had sub-licensed the commercial tower premises to them and that they were not given a showcause notice. The petitioners had also stated that they had made a one-time payment to CJ International and they were currently paying only monthly maintenance charges.
CJ International, operator of the Le Meridien hotel, and civic body New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) are engaged in a bitter legal dispute over non-payment of dues, which NDMC has pegged at Rs 605 crore. Reliance Industries is one of the occupants of Le Meridien's commercial tower. In a hearing presided by Justice JR Midha, the court dismissed RIL’s petition.
“The petition was dismissed and it was observed that it was a proxy litigation and that it has no locus standi,” NDMC's counsel Yoginder Handoo said, adding that RIL had also been asked to deposit Rs 2 lakh in 10 days, and that the matter will be taken up on October 27. RIL spokespersons couldn't be reached for comments.
Last month, NDMC had issued notices to companies, including Reliance Industries and Saab India Technologies, which have their offices in the commercial tower of hotel Le Meridien in Delhi, seeking details of the nature and extent of their occupation of the property. NDMC’s notices to companies occupying the commercial tower, issued on September 13 following the court order, had asked them to provide information and documents regarding the nature of arrangement of their occupation and date of entry on the premises. As many as 27 companies had approached the court against NDMC’s sealing of the commercial tower.
Their contention was that the sealing orders were not addressed to them but to CJ International, which had sub-licensed the commercial tower premises to them and that they were not given a showcause notice. The petitioners had also stated that they had made a one-time payment to CJ International and they were currently paying only monthly maintenance charges.
