New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed till 3 July a Rajasthan high court direction, asking for uninstalling several 3G and 4G ground base mast towers installed by Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd in Jaipur.
On 22 May, a two-judge bench of the Rajasthan high court had ordered the removal of towers that were installed without requisite permission. The order also stayed further installation of towers in the city without the required permissions.
The SC bench of justices P.C. Pant and Amitava Roy observed that “towers already installed should not have been asked to be uninstalled at an interim order”. However, the court did not lift the stay on more tower installations.
The court also asked former judge I.S. Israni, also a petitioner before the Rajasthan high court, to respond to Reliance Jio’s appeal against the 22 May order on 3 July, when the court will hear the case next.
The May order of the high court noted that the allegations were that towers were being installed indiscriminately and without proper permission. The order also said that 1,800 more towers were to come up in the city.
However, lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Reliance Jio, said that the proposal was only for 400 towers, of which the company had express permission for 175 and deemed permission for 40.
