New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has granted interim relief to some individuals seeking quashing of the demolition notices issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for demolition of alleged unauthorised properties in the Batla House area in the national capital.
Justice Tejas Karia, while granting the relief to the petitioners, directed the DDA to maintain status quo till the next hearing.
The High Court also issued notice to the DDA and sought its response to the pleas in four weeks.
The High Court would take up the matter on July 10, when a roster bench would hear all similar pleas seeking quashing of the demolition notices issued by the DDA.
The petitioners approached the High Court against the DDA notice for demolition of properties. The DDA had issued notices for demolition of properties pursuant to a direction by the Supreme Court in a contempt petition to remove unauthorised structures in Khasra No. 279 at Village Okhla in relation to the area lying outside PM-UDAY Colony boundary. The top court also clarified in the order that if the occupants are aggrieved by the notices of demolition, they are free to adopt appropriate proceedings in accordance with law.
The High Court, while granting interim relief to individual petitioners, noted the apex court clarified in its order that they occupants were free to adopt appropriate proceedings in accordance with law and some some individual petitioners had approached the High Court, which listed the matter on July 10 and directed the respondents to maintain the status quo while directing the DDA to file an affidavit in relation to action to be taken and demarcation report within three weeks.
The High Court earlier on June 11 refused to grant any relief in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Amanatullah Khan seeking stay on demolitions in the area, saying passing a general order to protect properties from demolition in a PIL was likely to jeopardise the individual cases and had said that the affected residents may move court individually against their grievances.
The High Court earlier also granted interim relief to some petitioners who had approached the court against the demolition notices issued by the DDA.
