"Restore Taj Mahal Or We Will Shut It Down", Says Supreme Court

“Either we will shut down the Taj or you demolish or restore it,” the Supreme court told the Uttar Pradesh government.

The Supreme Court today slam dunked the Centre and its regime for their “lethargy” in taking steps to safeguard the Taj Mahal, tagging the dilemma of preserving the historic medieval architecture a “hopeless cause”.

The zenith court too expressed sorrow over the government’s failure to come out with a vision documentation to protect and preserve the Taj Mahal.

The court directed the Centre to render full details of the steps taken and action necessitated to be taken for conserving the famed monument.

A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and M B Lokur said no solid steps have been taken by the government, in spite of a parliamentary standing committee report on Taj’s preservation.

The Centre informed the bench that Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur was evaluating air pollution level in and around the mausoleum and will provide its report in four months.

It stated a special committee has too been formulated to locate the source of pollution in and around the Taj, which will imply measures to deter it.

The high bench said it will overhear the matter on a day-to-day basis from July 31.

The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to shelter the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.