A public interest litigation challenging the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s decision to allow a circus at Park Circus Maidan was moved in Calcutta High Court on Friday.

The division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul asked the petitioners, who identified themselves as morning walkers at Park Circus Maidan, to come to court on Monday with an affidavit on what they want.

Acting Chief Justice Paul said he will hear the petition on Wednesday.

Ajanta Circus has pitched its tents on the maidan and started its shows from December 8. Over 100 people are part of the troupe that earns a living from these seasonal shows.

The owner of Ajanta Circus, Joynul Haque, told Metro he invested about ₹60 lakh for the show.

In September, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) gave its nod to the circus at Park Circus Maidan. It had floated a tender earlier, and Ajanta Circus won the right.

The last time a circus show was held at Park Circus Maidan was in 2014.

After that, police withheld permission, citing fears of traffic congestion because of the ongoing construction of the arms connecting the Parama flyover with the AJC Bose Road flyover.

The counsel for the petitioner, Sabyasachi Chatterjee, told this newspaper: “When the Kolkata Book Fair was discontinued on the Maidan, the then KMC board had allowed the fair at Park Circus Maidan. This decision was challenged in the high court, and the KMC’s decision was overturned. This was in 2008. Eventually, the Book Fair had to be shifted to the less congested east Calcutta.”

Now, the fair is held at the Central Park Mela Ground in Salt Lake.

“Park Circus is a congested place. Allowing circus at Park Circus will lead to traffic snarls. It will also cause air pollution,” he said.

Chatterjee said Park Circus Maidan was created by the British administration when it was creating parks and squares across the city.

“It has some purpose. Regular fairs destroy the green cover. The space of Park Circus Maidan has already shrunk over the years,” he said.

In court on Friday, the bench asked the KMC’s lawyer if the civic body had permitted the circus. The lawyer for the civic body said that it had.

The bench then asked the petitioner to file the affidavit and agreed to hear the matter on Wednesday.

Haque of Ajanta Circus said he had obtained permission after following all rules and regulations. “The KMC gave us permission to run the circus,” he said. “We have artistes from Mongolia, Russia, Ethiopia, Canada and Nigeria,” he said.

There are three shows of two and a half hours every day (1pm, 4pm and 7pm). Ticket prices range between ₹150 and ₹500.

Haque said the turnout has not been good in the first few days, but he expected it to pick up over the weekend.

“Circus is a dying art. So many circus companies went out of business after Park Circus Maidan ceased to be a regular venue. Hundreds lost their employment. Earlier, all companies organised their circus here in rotation,” said Haque.

After 2014, circus shows used to be held at Patuli or Sinthee, but the turnout was not the same, said Haque.

“We thought we would fold up our business if we did not get permission to hold circus shows at Park Circus Maidan this year,” he said.

Ajanta is one of the last surviving circus companies in the country.

“There was a time when there were several famous circus companies — Olympic, Kohinoor, Nataraj and Famous, for example,” Haque said.