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Cox and Kings hearing adjourned to Jan 20

This follows a petition by Mahant Durgadas, a member of the Akhara Parishad, raising objections to the tents put up by Cox and Kings in what he claimed was annakshetra land. This went against Hindu culture, he had said.

Also, the advocate general of Uttar Pradesh told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that objectionable transmission by Channel Four had prompted the Akhara Parishad to press the authorities to issue a cancellation order for the allotments.

It has been alleged that Channel Four used footage of naked Naga sadhus and bathing women in a documentary.

In reply, the international tour operator said it had taken an undertaking from all the tourists staying in the camp that they would not hurt the religious and cultural sentiments of Indians while taking photos or shooting video footage.

Also, it argued there was no annakshetra where its luxury tents had been pitched, just wilderness.

"As per our knowledge, none of the foreign tourists have taken any obscene photos,'' Cox and Kings said.

Sadakant has directed the Press Information Bureau, Channel Four, the Uttar Pradesh Director of Information, India Today and Outlook to submit their reports in this regard to the court by January 20.

Earlier, the apex court had stayed the demolition of the company's 74 luxury tents till Thursday.

The interim stay was granted by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice A S Anand, Justice R C Lahoti and Justice Shivraj V Patil.

It had then directed the Allahabad divisional commissioner, the supreme authority for the Mahakumbh, to hear the company and Anil Agarwal who had approached the court against the January ten order cancelling the allotment made to Cox and Kings for setting up of tented accommodation.

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