A division bench comprising justices Dilip Sinha and Ashok Bhangale allowed the municipal council's prayer for extension of time since the deadline set by the previous judges - Vijay Daga and Arun Chaudhari - was expiring on Wednesday.
The council contended that it was hearing out encroachers as per the court's directives and had rejected their applications for granting them further time. However, the entire process of giving notices and conducting hearings was time consuming and it was not possible to complete it before the deadline. Therefore, the council wanted an extension of time.
The court's direction came while hearing a suo motu petition over dilapidated condition of the historic temple, thronged by lakhs of devotees every year, that is on the verge of collapse owing to lack of maintenance. Anand Jaiswal was appointed as amicus curiae in the petition.
A Ramtek resident, Amit Khot, had also filed a PIL citing various media reports about the over 700-year-old historical temple belonging to the Wakatak regime. Last year, the archaeology department had erected a wall fencing around the complex. Ironically, the authorities illegally excavated the hills without any permission from competent authorities, resulting in severe damage to the heritage structure.
During the last hearing, the court had asked the state government to constitute an experts committee to draft plans for the conservation and development of the historic Ramtek Gadh temple. The court also provided respite to temple priests by directing the council not to demolish their houses. The collector was told to prevent sand excavation from the mountain on which the temple is located. The judges also asked the director of archeological survey of India (ASI) to be present during the anti-encroachment drive so that damage is not done to the age-old temple. It also constituted a panel under him to examine whether mining activities in nearby areas are damaging the temple structure.
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