PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 18 -- The Allahabad high court has held that immovable properties belonging to educational institutions in the state, including their playgrounds, whether forming part of the same premises or situated elsewhere, cannot be allowed to be used for any commercial activities like exhibitions, trade or other fairs, or sale of one or the other articles and goods etc. The bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra on October 14 directed the state government to issue a clear and unambiguous circular to this effect directing district and police administration besides educational institutions at all levels within a month. The court was hearing a PIL petition filed by one Girja Shankar seeking the court's direction to the state government to stop commercial fairs being organised on the premises of Brahmanand Degree College at Rath in Hamirpur district. It was stated in the petition that the said degree college being affiliated to Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, is a government-aided institution imparting education in the form of various degree courses and other professional courses and since last year a commercial fair is being organised in the entire open ground of the said college at the instance of the principal of the institution. After going through the arguments and material on record, the court observed, "Educational institutions are meant for imparting education only and the land and building belonging to such institutions which include their playgrounds also, cannot be permitted to be used for holding any commercial activity under any name, like exhibitions, trade fairs or other kinds of fairs, or sale of one or the other articles and goods etc." "Infrastructure of educational institutions is meant to be utilised strictly for the purposes of educational activities and those associated and linked thereto like holding of sports events, cultural, inter-schools competitions, and such other identical curricular activities organised by the institution itself and for no other purpose," the court said....