Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Sept 27: The Supreme Court has directed the Agra Development Authority to immediately stop all commercial activities within a 500-meter radius from the peripheral wall of the iconic Taj Mahal.
The Agra Development Authority was instructed to guarantee compliance with its order about the 17th-century white marble mausoleum by a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and AS Oka.
The court’s decision was made after hearing a request for a directive to the authorities to forbid commercial activity within a 500-meter radius around the revered mausoleum.
“We allow the prayer that reads– Direct the Agra Development Authority to remove all business activities within 500 meters from the boundary/peripheral wall of the monument Taj Mahal which shall be in tune with Article 14 of the Constitution of India,” the court said.
A group of store owners who had been given permission to operate their operations outside of the 500-meter zone submitted the application. They informed the court that illicit business activities were being conducted close to the Taj Mahal, blatantly violating earlier rulings by the apex court.