[Jahangirpuri Demolition] Juice shop was demolished after owner failed to respond to notice: NDMC to Supreme Court

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has told the Supreme Court that the plea by a Jahangirpuri-based juice shop owner should not be entertained, since it did not receive a response to the show cause notices sent prior to the demolition (Ganesh v. NDMC)..Ganesh Gupta, whose juice shop was razed during the demolition drive conducted in Delhi's Jahangirpuri last month, had moved the Supreme Court seeking compensation from the NDMC..Gupta had maintained that his shop was authorized with all necessary licenses. However, NDMC has claimed that,"Only first floor of the juice shop which did not have a valid permission was made unusable by the corporation.".In its affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, NDMC has stated that before demolishing Gupta's shop, a show cause notice dated March 31, 2022, was served upon the shop owner Shakuntala Devi to submit documents regarding the legality of the structure within a week, failing which action would be taken. However, the owner did not file any reply to the showcase notice, the NDMC stated."Some of the shops and houses had been extended through temporary structure for about 8 to 10 feet on the public land," the reply by the municipal corporation said. .It was stated that as part of the demolition drive on April 20, heaps/sacks of garbage, projections on public land and temporary structures well beyond the boundary of houses and shops were removed. For this action, no notice was required to be served under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, the affidavit stated..NDMC, run by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had initiated a two-day anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri, days after violent clashes between two communities on Hanuman Jayanti.Delhi BJP Chief Adesh Gupta had also written to the mayor of the North Corporation to identify illegal constructions of "rioters" in Jahangirpuri and demolish them, PTI reported..On April 20, the Supreme Court had ordered status quo on the demolition drive that took place in the riot hit area.The Court was hearing a batch of pleas, including one filed by Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind seeking directions to the Central and State governments that no residential accommodation or commercial property be demolished as a punitive measure.CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat had also moved the apex court, stating that the demolition did not stop even an hour after the Court ordered status quo. Another petition was filed on behalf of Ganesh Gupta, whose juice shop was demolished in yesterday's drive..During the last hearing, Senior Advocate Sanjay Hedge had submitted that there was no prior notice served upon Gupta. .[Jahangirpuri Demolition Drive] Will take serious view of demolition carried out after status quo order: Supreme Court.Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.