The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed any further progress by authorities to amend the Delhi Master Plan 2021, which is aimed at granting protection from the ongoing sealing drive in the national capital.
The court took strong exception to the fact that the Delhi government, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the municipal corporations had not filed affidavits on whether an environment impact assessment was conducted before proposing an amendment to the city’s master plan.
“This is contempt, and nothing short of contempt. This Dadagiri has to stop,” a Bench comprising Justices M. B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.
The court also discharged BJP MLA Om Prakash Sharma and municipal councillor Gunjan Gupta, against whom it had earlier issued show cause notices for contempt for allegedly obstructing authorities from carrying out the sealing drive.
‘Don’t insult CM’
The Bench said it has gone through the CD containing video footage of the protest and it “appeared that the duo were not obstructing the authorities”.
However, the Bench took umbrage to derogatory language being used in the footage and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal being insulted by the protesters.
“You cannot insult the Prime Minister or any Chief Minister just because they are not from your political party. You must show respect to them,” the Bench said.
“You are destroying the institution. This is absolutely unacceptable. Today you are insulting the CM of Delhi. Tomorrow, you will insult the CM of a State and then the PM of our country,” the Bench observed.
The master plan is a blueprint for urban planning and expansion in the metropolis to ensure overall development. The proposed amendments were for bringing a uniform floor area ratio (FAR) for shop-cum-residential plots and complexes at par with residential plots.
The FAR is the ratio of a building’s total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land on which it is built.
Illegal constructions
The apex court had earlier observed that the rule of law over sanction to construct buildings had “completely broken down” and expressed concern over illegal construction. It then ordered the restoration of its monitoring panel to identify and seal offending structures.
The Bench took strong note of a report filed by the committee, which said officials were obstructed from performing their duties by a gathering at the instance of Mr. Sharma and the municipal councillor during the process of sealing premises.
