AJL moves SC challenging Delhi court's verdict of vacating Herald House

New Delhi: The Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) on Monday moved the Supreme Court and filed an appeal challenging the Delhi High Court order of vacating the Herald House, from where newspaper National Herald functions.

The Delhi High Court had in its order on February 28 directed the AJL to vacate the Herald House while dismissing a plea filed by AJL in this regard.

AJL is the publisher of the National Herald newspaper. It is owned by Young India (YI), in which Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi are majority shareholders.

On December 21 last year, the Delhi High Court's single bench had dismissed the petition filed by AJL, challenging the Centre's decision to cancel its lease and vacate the Herald House.

The Centre, in its eviction order passed on October 30 last year, had mentioned the violation of lease conditions by AJL and had said that the Herald House's 56-year-old lease to AJL had ended.

The publisher had then approached the High Court on November 12 against the eviction order of the Union Urban Development Ministry. In the petition, it stated that the central government's decision to cancel the lease is "politically motivated".

AJL also stated that shutting down National Herald premises was a "deliberate attempt by the government to suppress and destroy the legacy of Nehru."