The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) whether it was ready to cough up Rs. 1 crore in costs for constructing unauthorised structures at the Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium. A Bench of Justices J.S. Khehar and C. Nagappan said the amount would be utilised to provide facilities at the stadium.
The Bench gave senior advocate L. Nageshwar Rao time till Friday to get instructions from his client, the DDCA.
The Bench, however, agreed with Mr. Rao’s submissions that there was no need to demolish the structures as it would be a “national wastage” of public money.
Taking stern objection to an intervenor’s plea that the illegal buildings in the stadium should be pulled down, Justice Khehar asked: “If the buildings are brought down, what benefit will you get? Nobody will get any benefit from demolishing a building, unless it hampers cricket playing in the stadium.”
The court was hearing the DDCA’s petition against a Delhi High Court order dismissing its application for restoration of a plea for a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the MCD for the stadium which was denied Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) clearance.
The court had earlier asked the DDCA to furnish receipts of payments made to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to obtain NOC for holding cricket matches in the stadium.
The Delhi High Court by its March 3 order had dismissed DDCA’s application to restore its 1997 petition seeking NOC from MCD for the stadium.
In its 1997 petition, the DDCA had challenged a June 1992 notification of ASI, as per which construction within 100 metres of ‘Kotla Baoli’ is prohibited.
The court had asked the DDCA to furnish receipts of payments made to the SDMC
