Stay on state funding of Jerusalem tour vacated

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the AP High Court comprising Chief Justice Nisar Ahmad Kakru and Justice Vilas Afzalpurkar on Monday vacated the interim orders of stay in the case pertaining to state funding of Jerusalem pilgrimage.It may be recalled that Satish Agarwal and another person filed a writ petition challenging the action of the state government in paying for the pilgrimage taken up by Christian devotees to Jerusalem and other places.A bench had granted interim orders in 2009 staying the operation of the scheme. When the respondent approached the Supreme Court, the apex court directed the High Court to decide finally on the matter.When the cases were listed on Monday, the day of agitations in the HC, the bench perused the papers and vacated the interim orders. Similar orders of stay in cases pertaining to state funding for construction of churches, mosques, repairs of Wakf properties have been vacated.