HIMACHAL HIGH COURT orders status quo on Ramdev’s land in state

Dharamsala, February 27, 2013: The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to maintain status quo on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's land, near Sadhupul. The new Congress government of Himachal  took it  back due to irregularities in its allotment by the previous BJP regime. Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has already constructed an Ayurveda hospital-cum-yoga 'shivir' hall on the land.
A week ago  state government took possession of the prime land in Solan district in wake of BJP government’s so said wrong allotment in 2010, which violated the laws .
On the petition of Patanjali Yogpeeth against the orders of Vir Bhadra Government, a division bench of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Kuldip Singh putting the status quo, restrained the government from demolishing the construction, or changing the nature or possession of the land until the case is disposed of, and directed the government to file a reply within four weeks and listed the matter for next hearing on April 24.
The government on February 22 took back the possession of the 96.5 bighas of land near Sadhupul, in Solan district.
Patanjali Yogpeeth moved the High Court on February 25, alleging that the state's decision to take back the possession of land was illegal, arbitrary and in violation of natural justice.
The land originally belonged to the erstwhile royal family of Patiala, to which Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh belongs. The land, donated by Amarinder Singh's family to the Himachal Pradesh government in 1956, was meant only for setting up the Indira Holiday Home for Children.
The Congress-led government in Himachal said the land, valued around Rs. 35-40 crore, was allotted to the yoga guru for a one-time lease payment of Rs. 17 lakh for 99 years at a token annual fee of Re1.