SC paves way for sealing drive in city

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court Friday paved the way for restarting the sealing drive in the capital, reviving the Monitoring Committee appointed by it to check the commercial misuse of residential properties.  A bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta recalled its January 3, 2012, order asking the committee not to seal any more premises.  The bench rejected the objections raised by the Delhi government which said its functions could not be delegated to another authority.

Lashing out, Justice Lokur asked, “Is it your submission that Delhi government wants to ruin Delhi? Is your Delhi government prepared to stop unauthorised constructions in Delhi?”When the counsel replied in the affirmative, the court asked him “What steps have you taken for this?”

The counsel said he will file an affidavit, prompting the court to reply: “Until then, we will recall the order to the extent that the Monitoring Committee may continue its work”.  The committee was set up by the court on March 24, 2006, to oversee the implementation of the law relating to sealing of offending premises. But in January 2012, it asked the committee not to seal any more premises.

However, “the hope, expectation and trust that this court reposed in the officers seems to have been completely belied…”, it said and referred to the “establishment of an unauthorised colony in Mehrauli under the South body. The officials appeared in court on Friday and the bench asked SDMC counsel to file an affidavit with regard to the “illegal colony”.