Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday gave residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister’s official residence in the Lok Kalyan Marg area six weeks to vacate their houses and relocate to alternative accommodation provided by the government.
A bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia directed residents of Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony to vacate their dwelling units within six weeks. The court said the government could evict them after that period to clear the land, if necessary, with police assistance.
advertisement
The court directed the authorities to settle the residents within the six-week period in accommodation allotted to them at the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) Colony in Savda Ghevra, Delhi.
“The appellants shall vacate their dwelling units in the three Jhuggi Jhopri bastis at BR Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony within six weeks from today and within this period they shall be settled in the accommodation allotted to them in DUSIB Colony at Savda Ghevra, Delhi, whereafter they shall be evicted to clear the land, if necessary, with the assistance of the police,” the court ordered.
The bench also constituted a monitoring committee under the chairmanship of Man Mohan Sharma, a retired officer of the Delhi Higher Judicial Services and former Delhi judge, to supervise the rehabilitation of the dwellers. The committee will monitor the relocation process and ensure that the authorities provide the amenities promised to the residents.
The panel will include high-ranking officials from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, DUSIB, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Directorate of Education and the health department. The court directed the Land and Development Office (L&DO) to immediately notify the constitution of the committee.
The committee will have a term of six months, which the court can extend by another two months if required. It will meet regularly to monitor and supervise the rehabilitation of the residents.
The High Court stressed that the rehabilitation must remain “meaningful” and ensure the residents’ right to live with human dignity, which forms part of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The court also directed all authorities to “strictly” honour their undertakings and comply with its June 4, 2026 directions concerning amenities at Savda Ghevra. These include schools, electricity, LPG connections, bus passes and dispensaries.
“The undertakings given by the respondents and directions passed by this Court as noted in our Order dated June 4, 2026 are to be fully honoured and complied with to ensure that rehabilitation of dwellers of Jhuggi Jhopri bastis takes place in a manner which will make them realise their fundamental right to live with dignity,” the court said.
The bench said the residents must be relocated and rehabilitated at the DUSIB Colony in Savda Ghevra in accordance with the decision taken by the authorities. It said the rehabilitation process needed consistent monitoring and supervision so that the residents could lead a meaningful life after relocation.
The court further directed DUSIB to facilitate the transportation of household articles and belongings of the appellants to their allotted accommodation.
The three slum clusters are located near the Prime Minister’s official residence in the Race Course area. The Centre had sought their eviction, citing their location in a protected zone immediately next to an operational Air Force Station. It said the decision to remove unauthorised construction aimed to strengthen and secure defence infrastructure and served other important public and security purposes.
The division bench rejected the residents’ claim that the eviction process violated the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.
The order came on appeals filed by residents of the three slum clusters challenging a single judge’s May 11 judgment, which had refused to interfere with their eviction.
On May 11, the single judge had given the residents 15 days to vacate their houses. The judge noted that the L&DO had first served them eviction notices in October 2025 and that sufficient time had elapsed since then.
The Centre had said in-situ rehabilitation was not possible because no alternative accommodation was available in the vicinity. It had decided to shift 717 dwellers from the three slums to Savda Ghevra instead.
The High Court’s latest order keeps the six-week deadline for vacation while placing the rehabilitation process under the supervision of the monitoring committee and requiring the authorities to provide the promised facilities at the alternative site.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
