The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea seeking allotment and regularisation of a temple and Satsang Bhawan constructed on a plot earmarked for a nursery school in Priyadarshini Vihar, holding that the structure was constructed without sanction and could not be permitted to continue. Justice Jasmeet Singh upheld the Delhi Development Authority’s decision to dispose of Nazul land through auction.
The Court noted that the temple had been constructed in 1991-92 without any change of land use or sanction from the DDA. The DDA had subsequently decided, in light of the 2021 Gazette notification and applicable Nazul Rules, that land for socio-cultural and religious purposes would be disposed of through auction and that the petitioner’s request for regularisation could not be considered.
The Court held that the DDA’s policy to auction Nazul lands was intended to optimise revenue and plan the development of Delhi. It clarified that the petitioner was free to participate in a fresh auction for another plot for running the temple. The Court also directed the petitioner to remove the idols from the temple, with due respect and ceremonies, within four weeks.
