The Allahabad High Court has overturned the entrance fee hike imposed by Aligarh Smart City Limited for Jawahar Park, declaring the move beyond the company’s jurisdiction.
The court reinstated the 2014 fee structure and directed authorities to charge visitors accordingly until they set a new fee.
Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Vikas Budhwar delivered the decision while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Dhirendra Kumar Gupta and others.
The petitioners contended that Aligarh Smart City Limited had arbitrarily increased the park’s entrance fees, despite having no legal authority to do so.
In its ruling, the court emphasized that the authority to set park entrance fees lies with a designated committee, not with the Smart City Limited.
The petitioners also pointed out that this committee had undertaken the park’s development, and that the Smart City Company had not contributed to its improvement.
Despite this, the company raised fees, citing the need to offset heavy financial burdens incurred through city development projects.
The court directed the District Magistrate of Aligarh to convene a meeting of the designated committee within three weeks to deliberate and determine a reasonable fee for park visitors.
This move, according to the bench, ensures that any fee adjustments align with proper jurisdictional processes.
The judgment brings temporary relief to visitors, as they will now be charged based on the decade-old fee structure while awaiting the committee’s decision on any potential revision.
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