New Delhi: As the impasse over the sealing drive in the Capital continues, all eyes are set on the Supreme Court.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal will on Monday hear the applications filed by the Centre, Delhi government and Municipal Coproration of Delhi (MCD) seeking suspension of the sealing drive in view of the prevailing law and order situation in the aftermath of a three-day strike by the traders.
In the applications filed separately, the authorities have sought relief for over 44,000 traders who had filed an affidavit giving undertakings to stop the misuse of premises in residential areas for commercial activities.
Such traders, by September 29 order, were allowed to continue their business till October 31 in view of the festival season.
However, in the application, the authorities sought relief for them like those covered under the controversial notifications of September 7 and 15, who have been allowed to continue their business subject to the outcome of validity of the notifications and the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006.
The Ministry of Urban Development and MCD have submitted that the traders who have filed affidavits, are feeling betrayed as against the traders getting away from sealing till January 31, 2007 even without giving any undertaking.
The court will also peruse the two reports submitted by the Monitoring Committee, the second of which was placed before the Registry in sealed cover as members of the committee were not happy with the leakage of the first report.
The MCD had also moved another application before the apex court seeking postponement of the sealing drive in view of Guru Purab.
Further, it sought the deferring of the drive, citing that a Nirankari Samagam was scheduled for November 13 and a large number of people are expected to gather in the capital for this, requiring full deployment of the police force.
Traders threaten to launch nationwide agitation
Anxious traders on Sunday expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would give a favourable direction on Monday on the sealing issue but warned the Government that they would launch a nationwide protest if the drive is resumed.
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As the Government and MCD approach the apex court for defering the drive, the "anxious but hopeful" traders, who met twice in the day to finetune their strategy, said the court would take into consideration their "future".
"We are worried and anxiously waiting. We have belief in the judiciary and hope that it will take into consideration our future while deciding on the matter," Confederation of All India Traders Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal told PTI.
"We think that after the court directions, there will be some kind of deliberations in the government level. We are waiting for that and hope that the drive will not be resumed," he said.
Various trade bodies across the country have expressed their solidarity with Delhi shopkeepers who are facing sealing of shops operating in residential areas and have threatened to call a Bharat Bandh if the government resumes the drive.
"They have also told us that we should think about a non-cooperation movement like not paying tax if the drive is re-started. We may be forced to call a nationwide bandh or other protest measures if the drive is resumed," Khandelwal said.
"Not a single time, the plight of lakhs of families are taken into consideration. But we now feel that in the past few days, we were able to bring about a change in perception," he said adding this could have an impact when the court hears the matter.
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