The Delhi High Court on Wednesday warned of a CBI probe against the police and officials of municipal corporations who were allegedly allowing unauthorised constructions in Sainik Farms area.
"We are not going to leave the officials. We are going to order a CBI inquiry against them," a bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Ashutosh Kumar said and sought presence of the CBI counsel on the next date of hearing, noting it was "contemplating issuing directions" to the agency.
The court warned that it could direct a CBI probe on unauthorised construction in the area if the Centre and the AAP government fail to take any "concrete measures" to address the issue.
The observations came after Cariappa Marg residents Welfare Association – one of the six RWAs in Sainik Farms - submitted an affidavit in the court saying they had discussed the issue with the police and the MCD but to no effect.
The RWAs have taken a conscious decision of making extra efforts to check the contents of every heavy vehicle entering the area which has multiple entry points. This, they said, is to ensure that no truck is carrying any building or construction material.
Gatekeeper threatened
The affidavit says the gate keeper engaged by the RWA is being threatened by an MCD employee named Mahavir on being stopped from undertaking illegal construction activity in the areaand is himself accompanying heavy vehicles carrying construction material.
“A large number of constrictions, approximately 700 or may be more are by property owners loacted at western avenue and defence services enclave are in the knowledge of the MCD and the police officials who have booked some but overlooked many such properties,” said the RWA.
The court directed the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) to check if the official named by the RWA was one of its employees and if yes, take action against him in accordance with law and to file a status report regarding the same by the next date of hearing on September 7.
SDMC was further ordered to file a satellite image of the area as well as a status report regarding the CCTV cameras it intended to install at 17 sites in the colony.
This direction came after the Centre said it had received comments from all stakeholders in June this year on action to be taken regarding Sainik Farms, but the Union Cabinet was yet to take a decision as Parliament session has started and sought time of six to eight weeks.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO through Harkrishan Das Nijhawan alleging illegal construction in Sainik Farms.
During the hearing, Delhi Police said it has filed a list of all of its officers who were deputed between 2001 to 2008 to Sainik Farms area to monitor the entry and exit points there. It said it had earlier submitted a list of its officers deputed there between 2008 to 2015-16.
SDMC said it has compiled the data of its officials deputed there, but has not filed it yet as it took time to gather the information from all three corporations. It said the list would be filed in two days.
The court had also directed SDMC to install cameras at all entry and exit points of the colony within four weeks.
This direction came after the Centre said it had received comments from all stakeholders on action to be taken regarding Sainik Farms
