No Organisation Can Claim Vested Right Over Allotment Of Particular Land At Maha Kumbh Mela: Allahabad High Court

Noting the increase in since of Kumbh Mela, the Allahabad High Court has held that there is no vested right to allotment of a particular land in the Maha Kumbh Mela area only because they may have been allotted the same in previous years.

Petitioner approached the High Court seeking allotment of land on the junction of Triveni Marg and Mukti Marg during the Mahakumbh Mela as a vested right. Petitioner claims to have been allotted the same land during the Kumbh Mela held earlier in the years 2001, 2007 and 2013.

Counsel for respondent authorities submitted that the land sought by the petitioner was under process of being allotted to Shankaracharayas, Akharas and Maha Mandleshwars and any allotment in favour of petitioner would require change in allotments of the aforementioned.

Noting that in 2019, petitioner did not challenge the allotment of land at a different location, the bench of Justice Shekhar B. Saraf and Justice Nand Prabha Shukla held

“The particular Mahakumbh Mela being organised this year would obviously be different from the earlier organised Kumbhmela, as the extent of the Kumbhmela keeps increasing each year. Being a Mahakumbh, we do appreciate that the State authorities are taking great care in allotting the land to the different institutions/organisations as per the policy established. No particular organisation can claim a vested right for being allotted a particular land only because the said land may have been allotted to it in the previous years.”

Disposing of the writ petition, the Court granted liberty to the petitioner to file a fresh representation and directed the authorities to pass a reasoned order and try to accommodate the petitioner closer to its choice of place.

Case Title: The Yog Satsanga Samiti Through Its Director/ General v. State Of U.P. And 4 Others [WRIT - C No. - 41969 of 2024]

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