Supreme Court puts INS Viraat dismantling on hold

Ahmedabad : Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a stay on the dismantling of Indian Navy’s flagship – INS Viraat. The apex body also issued a notice to the company that had bought the ship from the navy to turn it into a scrap.

The SC's order comes over a petition filed by group that offered to buy the ship and turn it into a museum, instead of scrap.

A major section of the ship has already been scrapped till the time an order to stop dismantling the ship has been released by the Supreme Court.

In December, the Defence Ministry had rejected offers to save the INS Viraat from being broken up by a shipbreaker company in Gujarat.

Envitech Marine Consultants Pvt Ltd has been looking to acquire the warship and convert INS Viraat into a maritime museum, parked off the coast of Goa in collaboration with the government of small coastal state.

Indian Navy had decommissioned the INS Viraat in 2017.

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