[ad_1]
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to reply to the plea, which sought conversion of retired naval warship ‘INS Viraat’ into a maritime museum. The court docket took be aware of the submissions of the defence ministry that the ship had already been auctioned and bought to a non-public firm in September itself.
The MoD additional submitted that because the ship was not of their possession anymore, they may not contemplate the request of the petitioner. While changing the plea into a illustration to the MoD, the court docket clarified that its instructions wouldn’t vest any rights within the petitioner to get the specified reliefs from the MoD and disposed of the petition.
A division bench of Justice Nitin M Jamdar and Justice Milind N Jadhav was listening to a plea by Mumbai-based non-public firm Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd represented by one Vishnukant Sharma by means of advocate Nubaraga Riyaz, looking for instructions to convert the ‘longest serving’ plane provider, which is about to be scrapped and dismantled, to be transformed into a maritime museum. The petitioner sought NOC to convert the warship from its standing as ‘scrap’ to ‘preserve’.
The petitioner mentioned it was vital for residents to know the historical past of Indian naval drive by means of a maritime museum and it was struggling to take away the tag of ‘scrapped’ ship and sought aid from the MoD by way of NOC for the conversion.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, representing the MoD, opposed the plea and mentioned the provider, which formally retired in 2017, was not in its possession and was already bought to a non-public firm, Shriram Group of Industries, this yr, following due public sale course of and subsequently it can not contemplate the petitioner’s request.
After listening to submissions and browsing materials on document, the bench mentioned it would switch the petition to the secretary of the MoD as illustration looking for NOC, which might reply to the identical and make clear its place. ASG Singh opposed this and mentioned the MoD was in no place to contemplate the plea.
Disposing of the plea, the court docket directed the MoD to decide pending illustration as per regulation and mentioned, “We clarify that we have not commented on the merits of the petitioners’ claim, nor have recognised any additional right in favour of the petitioners or any liability upon the respondents. It would be desirable that the decision is taken early as, if the ship is dismantled, an irretrievable situation may take place.”
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
[ad_2]
Source