The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea seeking demolition of a slum cluster, which has allegedly encroached upon a vacant government land behind the Majlis Park metro station in north-west Delhi.
A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan said the land did not belong to someone who was poor or downtrodden and suggested to the petitioner to either withdraw the plea or “face an order of the court”.
Sensing the mood of the court, the petitioner, a lawyer, sought permission to withdrew his plea.
“Permission granted. Petition is disposed of as withdrawn,” the bench said.
According to the petition, there has recently been an increase in the encroachment of the land in question.
The petitioner, who resides nearby the said land, told the court that if the slum’s expansion was left unchecked, the area could turn into the next ‘Dharavi’ — considered to be Asia’s largest slum cluster in Mumbai.
The petitioner told the court that he had made several representations and complaints to authorities, including the Defence Ministry, which own the land, but no action has been taken till date to remove the encroachment.
