Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is likely to hold a meeting with Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and director general of police on Friday to assess the law and order arrangement in the state. The development comes ahead of the verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute case, which according to sources, is said to be pronounced next week. The CJI has called UP Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari and DGP Om Prakash Singh and will have the meeting in his chamber, they said.
After a marathon hearing of 40 days, the judgement on the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute was reserved on October 16. The judgement is likely to be pronounced before November 17 as Justice Gogoi's tenure as the CJI comes to end on the same day.
Meanwhile, security has been tightened across Uttar Pradesh. The railway police on Thursday issued a seven-page advisory to all its zones giving them a slew of directions on security preparedness ahead of the much-awaited Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute case, sources said.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) advisory also said that leaves of all its personnel have been cancelled and they will be engaged in escorting trains, they said.
UP to have two helicopters on standby for emergencies
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said two helicopters will be on standby in Lucknow and Ayodhya as part of the security arrangements in the run-up to the Supreme Court verdict on the Ram Temple issue. The helicopters will be used in case of an emergency, an official said.
An official release later said the chief minister reviewed the law and order situation in each district and gave necessary directions to ensure normalcy.
It was also decided that a state-level control room will be set up in Lucknow. Every district will also have a separate control room, the release said. Adityanath warned that strict action will be taken against anyone trying to disturb the law and order.
Lucknow Mahotsav postponed in view of Ayodhya verdict
With barely a week left for the final Ayodhya verdict, the annual Lucknow Mahotsav that is held every year from November 25 to December 5, has been postponed to the third week of January. The Mahotsav Samiti decided in its meeting held on Thursday that the Mahotsav should be postponed. Though the Samiti did not give any reasons for the postponement, sources said that this had been done in view of the impending Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya dispute.
Two years ago too, the Mahotsav, which is a calendar event, had been postponed to January in view of the civic polls held in the state.
The Lucknow Mahotsav is a major attraction for people living in Lucknow and in adjoining districts. Artisans, craftsmen from various parts of Uttar Pradesh as well as other states participate in the Mahotsav where they display and sell their wares.
IIT-Kanpur balloon for aerial surveillance in Ayodhya
An 'aerostat balloon' developed by the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) will be deployed for aerial surveillance in Ayodhya. The USP of this balloon is that by positioning it at a height of 100 metres, a range of 4 to 6 km can be monitored and the activities happening in that area can also be recorded.
IIT-K's Assistant Professor Subramaniam said that the balloon's exclusive feature is that it can rotate in any direction.
The balloon, controlled by a remote, has a camera that can record even the minutest of occurrences.
The Uttar Pradesh Police are already using drone cameras to monitor activities in the holy city ahead of the Supreme Court verdict in the Ram Janmabhumi-Babri Masjid title dispute case.
(With agency inputs)
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