New delhi, July 18 -- The Supreme Court on Friday rebuked unauthorised constructions in Chandni Chowk area despite a court-ordered ban and asked Delhi Police to arrest those "putting even a brick".
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told the Delhi Police commissioner to deploy patrolling parties in the area and immediately stop the unauthorised constructions.
"The Commissioner of Police shall continue to deploy a police team for patrolling in the area and ensure that all the demolition orders passed by the MCD, over which courts have not granted any stay, are meticulously complied with and where the illegal/unauthorized constructions are going on, such properties are sealed forthwith," the bench said. A compliance report from the local DCP was directed to be filed on the next hearing.
The bench said no residential property would be converted to commercial property and warned any collusion of builder and municipal corporation officials would be viewed seriously. "You (Police) deploy the team for patrolling every day and if anybody is found putting even a brick, he must be arrested then and there. This is a complete fraud going on in collusion with these municipal corporation officials. This must be stopped," the bench said.
Referring to the case of an elderly woman residing in the ground floor of a residential property, the bench said the second floor of the same property was illegally converted into commercial space by the builder. "From 2022 this builder starts construction on the property. This old woman residing on the ground floor ran from pillar to post to stop the construction. You don't do anything. When we pass an order, you go and dismantle everything. Where were you all this time?" the bench told counsel appearing for Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
The bench asked the authorities to furnish details of the builder and said suitable penal action would be taken against him. After perusing some photographs of the area, the bench ordered, "Arrest those who are involved in illegal construction. We will see who will grant bail to those persons, if they don't mend their ways."
The bench asked the MCD to file an inspection report of the area and asked the authorities to comply with its directions issued earlier.
On May 23, the top court directed the Delhi commissioner of Police to deploy a team in areas of Chandni Chowk to act against persons carrying out illegal construction despite its ban.
The order was passed after the court was informed that despite the top court order staying the construction of commercial complexes and demolition of residential buildings in Fatehpuri area of Chandni Chowk, the unauthorised construction was being carried out.
The top court asked the MCD what action it had taken against unauthorised constructions beyond those still standing. On May 13, it ordered a stay on converting residential premises into commercial spaces and allowed petitioners to record evidence of ongoing illegal construction, which was allegedly happening in collusion with civic officials, according to a petitioner.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.