Imphal, February 27: In a significant ruling, the Principal bench of the Gauhati High Court has issued an order to maintain the status quo on the move of the Government to acquire the Royal Palace.

Chief Justice B Sudersen Reddy and Justice BP Katakey issued the order following a writ petition filed by 24 persons whose land located around the Royal Palace are included in blue map prepared by the Government for the Palace take over.

After hearing both the parties, the Court ruled, "Status quo shall be maintained until further orders," a reliable source from Guwahati informed The Sangai Express.

The appeal was filed against an earlier ruling by a single bench at Imphal on January 4 this year, which rejected the writ appeal that challenged sections 4,6 and 7 of the Land Acquisition Act, the source said.

The appellants plea is to protect and preserve the historical sites without acquiring their land by the Government.

Senior Advocate Nilloy Dutta assisted by Advocate A Bimol appeared on behalf of the writ appellants.

State of Manipur represented by the Chief Secretary, Commissioner/Secretary Revenue, Commissioner/Secretary and Director of Art and Culture cum Collector Land Acquisition, Imphal East and Union of India are the listed respondents in the case.

The Court may further hear the case after three weeks, said the source.

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