Supreme Court stays Herald House eviction (Lead)

New Delhi, April 5 (IANS) In a big relief to the Gandhis and the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha battle, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the eviction of the Herald House that houses the National Herald office.The apex court stayed a February 28 order by the Delhi High Court. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi also issued notice to the Land and Development Office on an appeal of the Associated Journal Ltd (AJL) against the High Court order.AJL is owned by Young India (YI), in which Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders. On December 21, 2018, the Delhi High Court's single bench had dismissed a petition filed by the AJL, challenging the Centre's decision to cancel its lease and ordering it to vacate the Herald House.In October 2018, the Centre passed an order on the eviction of the Herald House stating the violation of lease conditions by the AJL and had said that its 56-year-old lease to the AJL had ended.The publisher then moved the High Court in November 2018 against the eviction order of the Union Urban Development Ministry. In its petition, it stated that the central government's decision to cancel the lease was "politically motivated".
--IANS sumit/in/mr