The Allahabad High Court has directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and the district administration to maintain status quo on the demolition of properties alleged to be illegally constructed on public land, while also seeking a concrete rehabilitation plan for long-term occupants.
A division bench of Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Prashant Kumar passed the order on July 31 while hearing a writ petition challenging the GDA’s demolition notice dated June 16, 2025. The notice, issued under Section 26-A of the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, targets 172 alleged illegal constructions on land earmarked in the city’s master plan.
The petitioners, many of whom have lived on the disputed land for 40 to 50 years, argued that they belong to economically weaker sections and face irreversible displacement in the absence of a rehabilitation scheme. Their counsel emphasized that the GDA has not taken any steps to rehabilitate the affected residents despite repeated court directions.
Observing the long-standing occupation of the petitioners and their vulnerable socio-economic background, the court remarked, “Some indulgence and reprieve is to be accorded to the inhabitants who belong to the weaker sections of society.”
In a significant directive, the court restrained the petitioners from creating third-party interests or carrying out any further development on the disputed land, while simultaneously mandating the GDA and district administration to present a detailed rehabilitation plan at the next hearing scheduled for August 22.
The GDA had earlier received objections from 89 of the 172 identified occupants. However, the petitioners challenged the subsequent demolition orders, citing lack of any meaningful remedial or compensatory measures.
