SHILLONG, Meghalaya—Taking up the petition against Shillong Municipal Board’s move of serving notices to the Sikhs living in the Punjabi lane area, the Shillong High Court has sought a reply from the Meghalaya state government in the form of an affidavit. The High Court has also upheld the relief granted to the Shillong resident Sikhs till next orders.
It may be recalled here that the Shillong Municipal Board had served notices to the residents of the Punjabi lane area asking them to produce documents proving their legal right over the respective properties, they own in concerned area.
Sharing the development with media, DSGMC’s legal cell head Advocate Jagdeep Singh Kahlon informed that the petition was taken up for hearing on June 18. “During the hearing, the advocate general of Meghalaya government told the Court that neither the Meghalaya state government is harassing residents of the Punjabi lane area nor they are being evacuated from there,” he said.
He further informed that the Court has directed the Meghalaya state government to submit its reply in the form of an affidavit.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Shillong High Court also conducted hearing on the review petition filed by the Meghalaya government against relief granted to the residents of Punjabi lane area.
During the debate over this review petition, the Harijan Panchayat Committee, the City Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee and the DSGMC told the Court that the Meghalaya state government doesn’t have any right over the land of Punjabi lane area as this land was allotted to these residents by the King around 200 years ago.
