[Central Vista Project] "Who Is The Owner Of Parliament Building?" Read Courtroom Exchange During SG Tushar Mehta's Arguments

Justice Khanna: Is it true that the issue of the National Museum being granted the heritage site tag is pending consideration ?

Mehta: I will see. 

Mehta: The Petitioner submitted that an advisory body has failed to give reasons. There is a Delhi Urban Art Commission Act which gives a statutory body which raised objections & rejected the proposal first. They then reconsidered & then allowed us. There was application of mind.

Mehta: I want to highlight how we are going to protect and preserve the heritage proprieties. Knowingly or unknowingly, an impression is made to be created that it will be a greenfield project. It will not be that. 

Mehta: When we are constructing something like the India Gate, War Memorial, we have design competitions. Because these places have no functions, they’re just monuments. For Parliament and C-Sec, we had competitions, but they were concept competitions.

Mehta: Participatory democracy is a Utopian idea. If we go wrong, we have the Supreme Court to guide us and tell us what to do. 

Mehta: I will deal with participatory democracy. India does not have that. We fortunately have representative democracy. We don’t have a system where people participate. 

Mehta: When we are constructing something like the India Gate, War Memorial, we have design competitions. Because these places have no functions, they’re just monuments. For Parliament and C-Sec, we had competitions, but they were concept competitions.

Mehta: Participatory democracy is a Utopian idea. If we go wrong, we have the Supreme Court to guide us and tell us what to do. 

Mehta: Participatory democracy is a Utopian idea. If we go wrong, we have the Supreme Court to guide us and tell us what to do. 

Mehta: I will deal with participatory democracy. India does not have that. We fortunately have representative democracy. We don’t have a system where people participate.