The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Gujarat government to limit the height of a compound wall around a demolition site near the Somnath Temple to five or six feet, rather than the 12-foot barrier initially proposed.
New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Gujarat government to limit the height of a compound wall around a demolition site near the Somnath Temple to five or six feet, rather than the 12-foot barrier initially proposed.
A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Augustine George Masih was hearing a petition challenging the state’s plan to erect a tall wall to prevent encroachment on government land. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Gujarat, argued that the wall was intended merely to bar unauthorised access, not to create a fortress.
“Don’t have a 12-foot wall,” Justice Gavai told Mehta. “If you are protecting it, five or six feet is enough.” The bench emphasised that a “reasonable height” would serve the intended purpose without altering the status quo.
Mehta agreed to convey the ruling to the local collector. “I will instruct,” he assured the court. Petitioners’ senior advocate Sanjay Hegde had contended that a taller wall would disrupt the existing landscape and infringe on public rights of way. The court’s order requires the state to revise its construction plans accordingly.
