Delhi sealing: SC breather to Govt, traders
In a breather to both government and traders on sealing issue, the Supreme Court on Wednesday extended till January 31, 2007, the date for giving undertaking on misuse of residential premises for commercial activities in the capital and clarified that its order never prohibited the Centre from issuing notification on Delhi’s master plan 2021.
However, there was no relief for 44,000 traders who have already given undertaking to the monitoring committee to stop the misuse as the court refused to extend the deadline of October 31 after which the sealing operations will resume.
“We are not here to review that order. It is a closed chapter,” the Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal said referring to its September 29 order by which it had given temporary relief to traders in view of the festival season.
The court did not accepted the argument of senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi that those who have filed the affidavit giving undertaking to stop misuse were precariously placed than those who have not given the undertaking till date.
However, the court modified its September 29 order for those covered under the controversial notifications of September 7 and 15, which have been made operational subject to the outcome of their validity.
The court had earlier ordered that those traders had to give the undertaking before November 10.
While making it clear that its order never restrained the Government from issuing notification on Delhi’s master plan 2021, the Bench said “in that order, we were not concerned with the Master Plan for 2021.”
The order was delivered on an application moved by the Ministry of Urban Devlopment expressing its constraint in implementing the September 29 order in such a shot time.