The Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered that status quo should be maintained at a heritage site at Aasron village in Nawanshahar district. The site is closely associated with Maharaja Ranjit Singh and it is said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh had hoisted his flag and established an artillery post at the site in 1831 before meeting Lord William Bentick on October 26, 1831 on the other side of the Sutlej river.

In its petition, the Punjab Heritage and Education Foundation through its president, Prof Gurbax Singh Shergill, has challenged the move to demolish the historic site. The petition says that a place under a peepal tree, where the Maharaja and the Britisher held a meeting, was being maintained as a historical site.

It has been stated that after the acquisition of the Swaraj Mazda-owned factory, which is located close to the historic site, the local administration has begun to bulldoze the site in order to extend the boundary of the factory which would result in the destruction of the historical hill.

Saying that it has been developing the site area as Maharaja Ranjit Singh Memorial National Historical Hill Park for which former union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Punjab minister Jagmohan Singh Kang have made donations, the petitioner has stated that this showed the recognition being granted to its efforts in preserving the heritage site.

Today a Division Bench, while directing the government to file its reply, told the petitioner to meet the Deputy Commissioner, Nawanshahr, on May 12 to discuss the issue work out a settlement.

The Bench adjourned the matter to July 11