India, May 15 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for continuing to operate an office near a 700-year-old Lodhi-era monument in Defence Colony, despite earlier directions to vacate the area. The court granted the civic body 48 hours to clear the site "lock, stock, and barrel".

The monument in question-Gumti of Shaikh Ali-sits at the centre of a roundabout near the Defence Colony market. Earlier this year, the apex court had come down heavily on the Defence Colony Resident Welfare Association (RWA), ordering it to vacate the structure after decades of illegal occupation, and directed its restoration.

On Wednesday, the bench led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed strong disapproval of ...