Was land allotted to Patanjali for food park: HC asks Noida

The Allahabad High Court today asked the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) if any land was allotted to yoga guru Ramdev's firm Patanjali Ayurved Ltd, directly or indirectly for setting up a food park.

The High Court has sought details if it was done.

The bench comprising justices Tarun Agarwala and Ajay Bhanot also issued a notice to Patanjali Ayurved Ltd on a petition by a man named Ausaf and others of Gautam Budh Nagar.

The petitioners had challenged the alleged allotment of 400 acres of land in favour of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. Noida.

The court asked YEIDA to provide all the records showing details of allotment of land in favour of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and such other company or firm or industry that directly or indirectly relates to Patanjali Ayurved Ltd along with maps.

The court has fixed November 14 for the next hearing in the case.

The petitioners alleged that they were allotted land on lease for plantation of trees in 1994 for 30 years but now that land was allotted illegally by YEIDA to Patanjali Ayurved Ltd.

During the course of the hearing , the Yamuna Expressway authority said neither its officers went to cut down tree nor any tree existed on the spot.

However, the state government in its affidavit stated that the authority's officers went to the disputed land to cut the trees and at least 300 trees are there.

"It seems that cover-up operations are going on. Neither the government nor the authority is ready to answer whose JCB machines were used to pull down trees," the court had observed on an earlier date.

Earlier, the court had directed the parties concerned not to make any development or changes in the land in dispute till the next order.