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R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, March 16
In a relief to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), the Supreme Court today passed an interim order allowing HPCA to unlock and use the facilities at the Dharamsala cricket stadium, which remained closed on an order passed by the state High Court on October 30, 2014.
A Bench, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, passed the order after the HPCA’s senior counsel PS Patwalia pleaded that the association was unable to host any cricket match, including the upcoming Ranji Trophy tie, as the HC had ordered locking of facilities such as 17 rooms, the restaurant, lobby, club, bar, gym, banquet hall and kitchen.
Half of the facilities at the stadium had to be closed on the HC order, passed after hearing arguments in a dispute between the HPCA and VCI Management Services Pvt Ltd following termination of the contract awarded to the company for maintaining the facilities, Patwalia said. The HPCA had come to the SC challenging the HC ruling.
The Apex Court, however, restrained the association from giving these facilities on contract again.
Patwalia contended that the Association was already facing a lot of problems in running the stadium as the state was hot on its heels, filing false criminal cases against Association President Anurag Thakur and his father PK Dhumal, former Chief Minister. The association had also received a notice from the state Tourism Department.
When the SC Bench said it was granting liberty to the state government to prosecute HPCA office-bearers for any violation of the court order allowing utilisation of the facilities, Patwalia pleaded against it, contending that the officials would misuse it to harass the association further. Accepting the plea, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing in the last week of April.
Patwalia said the dispute between the HPCA and VCI Management was at present under arbitration for award of damages, if any, to the contractor for sudden cancellation of the license given to the company.
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