Court orders petitioners to pay license fees for displaying ads during petition pendency. Advance payment required. Registration charges paid under protest.

The court ordered the petitioners to pay the Corporation license fees at specified rates for displaying advertisements in privately owned properties in Ahmedabad during the petition's pendency. The petitioners were permitted to display ads upon making an advance payment covering the first three months of the year. This arrangement was considered interim until the final petition disposal, with further orders possible. All members of the petitioner association paid registration charges under protest, and any unpaid charges had to be settled before utilizing the court's interim permission.

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Issues Involved:
Charging license fees for exhibition of advertisements in privately owned properties in Ahmedabad.

Analysis:
The petitioners had a dispute with the Municipal Corporation regarding the demand for revised license fees for exhibiting advertisements in privately owned properties in Ahmedabad. The Corporation had prohibited the petitioners from displaying advertisements due to the stalemate. To break this deadlock, an interim formula was proposed by the court. A chart was produced showing the rates at which the petitioners should pay license fees during the pendency of the petition, ranging from Rs. 450 to Rs. 2,000 per sq. mtr per annum for different zones.

During the pendency of the petition, the court ordered the petitioners to pay the Corporation the license fees as per the rates indicated in the chart for exhibiting advertisements in private properties. The petitioners were allowed to start displaying advertisements upon making an advance consolidated payment of 1/4th of the amount payable as per the rates in the chart. This payment would cover the first three months of the year starting from August 15, 2005. The arrangement was deemed as an interim formula until the final disposal of the petition and was subject to further orders without prejudice to the rights of either party.

It was mentioned that all members of the petitioner association had paid the registration charges under protest. If any member had not paid the registration charges, they were required to do so before availing the permission granted by the court in the interim order.

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