Apex Court seeks guidelines on blacklisting corrupt realtors

The Supreme Court (SC) on July 18 directed the Union of India to come up with proper guidelines within the time frame of two weeks to blacklist those builders, contractors and architects who are found to have constructed buildings against the sanctioned plan.

The SC said that the sealing and demolition of unauthorised constructions in the national capital will continue.

The court has passed the verdict after the Centre said that it had not asked the authorities in Delhi to stop the sealing drive against illegal constructions.

A SC division bench, headed by Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur told the Centre that hereafter, owners of illegal or encroached constructions would only be given 48 hours show cause notice as to why the building should not be sealed or demolished.

The apex court was informed today that Municipal Councillor, Mukesh Suryan, Chairman of Najafgarh wards committee, had allegedly prevented officers from carrying out sealing drives in the area, to which the top court sought his personal presence.

The bench also asked the Najafgarh authority to file an affidavit on the allegation that Deputy Commissioner Vishwendra Singh was transferred at the behest of Municipal Councillor Suryan.

The concerned authority, however, submitted in court that it was a routine transfer matter.

The sealing of commercial establishments under Delhi Master Plan 2021 started on January 7 from Khan Market on the orders of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.