The Supreme Court on April 5 stayed the Delhi High Court’s order regarding eviction of Associated Journals Ltd’s (AJL) from Delhi’s Herald House. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that the question was whether there was a violation of the lease. It has also issued a notice to the Centre’s Land and Development Office.

AJL had moved the apex court against the High Court order dismissing its plea to restrain the Centre from taking any “coercive steps” to vacate its premises at Herald House.

The publisher of National Herald, AJL had moved the apex court stating that the Centre’s attempt to revoke the 56-year-old lease was “politically motivated”.  Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with his mother Sonia Gandhi, are shareholders of Young India, a company that has major shares in the aforementioned newspaper.

The lease, that was signed in 1967, mentions that the premises will be used for the bonafide activities of the press and for nothing else. In its February 28 order, the Delhi High Court division bench stated: “the dominant purpose” for which Herald House was leased out to AJL “no longer exists”, since the publication has now ceased.

Last November, the Centre had stated that the lease had been violated.