The Supreme Court on February 13, 2019, rapped the Uttar Pradesh government for the poor maintenance of the Taj Mahal and asked it to show seriousness in preserving the monument.
A Bench headed by Justice S.A. Bobde has asked the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government to file a fresh vision document in four weeks with respect to the steps it wanted to take in the preservation of the site.
Hearing the case, the Bench observed that "We are very serious and concerned for the preservation and maintaining a proper standard of one of the world's seven wonders."
In its report on Taj Mahal, Archaeological Survey of India, in December last year, said the monument colour appeared to have changed due to the pollution in Agra.
The apex court had also condemned the authorities on July 11, 2018, for not showing any interest to protect the iconic structure, saying the preservation of the monument may be a “hopeless cause.”
The Green Bench comprising of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta of Supreme Court had observed that despite a long-standing moratorium from the Supreme Court the authority in charge of the Taj Trapezium Zone still entertaining applications from industrialists to expand their factories into the protected zone.
