New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday noted with exasperation that religious structures have sprung up without sanction in the middle of the capital’s roads.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla told the state government to come down with an “iron hand against encroachers”.
“How will a civilised society survive like this, if we have things coming up in the middle of the road? You have to send a message, loud and clear, that this will not be tolerated,” the justices told the government.
The bench was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate S.D. Windlesh on the construction of two ‘mazars’ in Delhi’s Bhajanpura area. The two ‘mazars on the road opposite Hassanpur depot and on the Wazirabad Road were illegal, the petitioner claimed.
Windlesh argued before court that these encroachment obstructed traffic and were a nuisance to residents.
The state government’s counsel Gautam Narayan told the justices that the issue of demolishing illegal structures was pending before the Supreme Court.
The Delhi High Court, while looking at the photographs attached by the litigator, said they revealed a “shocking state of affairs”.
The court said: “We are at a shock to understand how the state can be a mute bystander and allow such illegalities to occur. In our view, the state should take a clear, definite and firm stand in such cases and come down with an iron hand to send a message to encroachers that such encroachment would not be tolerated and they will be removed as soon as they are sought to be raised and penal action will also be taken against those who are behind such structures.”
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