The Supreme Court on Monday permitted an urgent mentioning before the Punjab & Haryana High Court against the ongoing Gurugram demolition drive.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked Punjab & Haryana Chief Justice Sheel Nagu to take up the matter either before 1 PM or at 1:45 PM.
During an oral mentioning, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan raised concerns over an ongoing demolition drive targeting “stilt plus four” buildings in Gurugram. He argued,
“Demolitions are set to commence in Gurgaon now. High Court had ruled an injunction that old policy should be adhered to with regard to stilt plus 4 buildings...but now authorities have directed that go to every street and demolish the structures. Trees are going, compound walls are falling. High Court never said demolition.”
Sankaranarayanan submitted that while the High Court had only directed adherence to the existing policy governing such constructions, authorities had begun large-scale demolitions across streets. Seeking interim protection, he added,
“Just give me the status quo for a 3-day period. We will approach the High Court. Children are outdoors when demolition is happening. No notice given. All legal constructions.”
CJI Kant observed that the structures in question were unauthorised.
“These are unauthorised structures. High Court has the power to look into this,” noted CJI Kant.
The Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) is set to begin an anti-encroachment demolition drive across 44 sectors of Gurugram on April 27. Earlier, a 5-day-long demolition drive was conducted by the Department of Town and Country planning.
The demolition drive in Gurugram is tied to the controversy over Haryana’s “stilt-plus-four” building policy, which permits the construction of four residential floors above stilt parking.
In April 2026, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the operation of this policy while hearing a batch of PILs challenging it. The Court had flagged serious concerns about inadequate civic infrastructure, observing that allowing additional floors could strain already overburdened roads, sewage and drainage systems.
Following the stay, the Haryana government initiated a crackdown on unauthorised constructions and encroachments, particularly misuse of stilt areas and extensions beyond approved plans. The drive was planned as a time-bound enforcement exercise, beginning with areas like DLF Phase 1.
In mid-April 2026, authorities carried out demolition of encroachments such as boundary walls, ramps, kiosks and other structures in licensed colonies, citing compliance with the High Court’s interim order.
However, residents and petitioners have argued that the High Court had only stayed the policy and directed adherence to existing norms, and had not expressly ordered large-scale demolitions.
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