In a scathing rebuke to civic and law enforcement authorities, the Supreme Court on Friday came down heavily on continuing illegal constructions in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk area despite a court-imposed ban, ordering immediate arrests of violators and stringent enforcement of demolition orders.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed strong displeasure over the blatant disregard of its earlier directives and slammed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Police for inaction, especially in cases where elderly residents had repeatedly sought relief.
“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,” the bench said sternly, describing the unauthorised constructions as “complete fraud going on in collusion with these municipal corporation officials.”
The court directed the Commissioner of Police to continue deploying patrolling teams in Chandni Chowk and to ensure immediate sealing of properties where illegal or unauthorised construction is ongoing, unless there is a stay on MCD’s demolition orders. It also ordered the local Deputy Commissioner of Police to file a compliance report at the next hearing.
The bench issued a warning against the conversion of residential properties into commercial spaces, citing a specific case where an elderly woman living on the ground floor saw the upper floor illegally turned into a commercial establishment. “From 2022, this builder starts construction… this old woman ran from pillar to post. You do nothing. When we pass an order, then you dismantle everything. Where were you all this time?” the court asked MCD’s counsel.
The Supreme Court also reviewed photographic evidence and demanded the arrest of those involved in illegal construction. “We will see who will grant bail to those persons if they don’t mend their ways,” the court warned.
Further, the court directed the MCD to submit a comprehensive inspection report of the area and to provide details about the builder involved, assuring that penal action would follow.
The latest order comes after repeated warnings and interim directives by the apex court, including orders dated May 13 and May 23, wherein it had stayed commercial construction in the Fatehpuri area of Chandni Chowk and permitted video recording of ongoing illegal activity. Despite these, construction reportedly continued unabated, prompting the court to take a tougher stance.
