The Delhi High Court recently issued a status quo order on the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) decision to destroy a cluster of slums in the Mehrauli area.
During the hearing of the petition, a single judge bench led by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed the DDA to maintain the status quo in the Ghosiya slum colony. Justice Arora stated, “In light of the averment that Ghosiya Slum colony is a jhuggi cluster duly enlisted in the list published by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board on its official website, which records 400 jhuggis, as well as the 2015 policy and the fact that the respondents do not have instructions in the matter.”
The High Court listed the matter for further hearing on February 14, 2023.
The High Court was hearing a petition filed by residents of the colony, which is located in Ward 8, Mehrauli. Advocate Anuprada Singh argued on behalf of the petitioner Ghosiya Colony Sewa Samiti that the slum colony is listed on the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board’s website in 2018.
She stated that the said list was obtained from the DUSIB’s official website. She further said that this “basti” had been assigned a code, and the list recorded the existence of 400 jhuggis. She further argued that the colony is a “notified JJ (jhuggi jhopri) cluster” and the “jhuggis cannot be demolished in the manner sought to be done.”
Advocate Singh relied upon the Delhi Urban Slum and Rehabilitation and Location Policy, 2015 of DUSIB to argue that since DDA is the land-owning agency, “It is obliged to rehabilitate the residents of slum colony prior to their eviction.”
She also claimed that no eviction notice was served on the colony’s residents and that the entire demolition process was illegal. She also stated that the demolition crew is due to arrive on Friday.
The officer delegated as DUSIB’s legal assistant was present and requested an adjournment to verify the averments made in the plea. DDA’s counsel stated that she has been unable to take instructions in this matter since the plea was provided to her some time ago and requested that the matter be heard on February 14.
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