Delhi High Court orders publisher of National Herald newspaper to vacate Delhi office in 2 weeks

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the publisher of Congress-linked National Herald newspaper to vacate its office in the national capital within two weeks. The High Court dismissed the petition filed by the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), challenging the eviction order by the government. On October 30, the land and development authority had canceled the 56-year-old lease and ordered to vacate the building, Herald House. In its order, the central government had alleged violation of lease conditions by the by Associated Journals Limited, the owner of the National Herald newspaper.

High Court justice Sunil Gaur has said that the AJL will have to vacate the Herald House located in Delhi's ITO within two weeks after which proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1971 would be initiated. Opposing the plea, the Centre said that no press has been functioning in the premises for at least past 10 years and it was being used only for commercial purposes in violation of the lease deed.

The publisher had said the government kept silent till April 2018 when it again sent a notice for inspection and in which it had said that it was coming to check breaches mentioned in notice of October 10, 2016.