Misuse of residential premises: Sealing to be done if no licence produced within 48 hours, says SC
New Delhi, Nov 2:The Supreme Court said on Friday that residential premises in Delhi which are being misused for commercial purposes should be sealed within 48 hours if their owners do not furnish permission documents or licence for running the business.
A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, A M Khanwilkar and R Subhash Reddy observed that the Centre has adopted a "non-cooperative" approach in dealing with the issuance of advance notice to the owner of a property being misused before sealing it.
It took into account the suggestions given on Thursday by senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the Delhi sealing matter, that persons misusing residential premises for unauthorised activity be asked to produce the licence within 48 hours.
"However, in the event the persons are unable to produce any permission or licence, the premises will be sealed due to the unauthorised misuse," the court had noted in its Thursday order.
The amicus had also suggested that if the owner of the property being misused would give an undertaking, which would be video recorded, that the misuse would be stopped and he or should would file an affidavit before the concerned authority that the same would not be misused, then another 48 hours time could be given for this.
During the hearing on Friday, the bench also dealt with the issue of joint survey of houses conducted in south Delhi area by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and the Land and Development Office (L&DO) in August.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, said that 2,354 houses were surveyed in the survey conducted in Amar colony, Motia Khan and two other areas.
He said that report of survey would be ready within two weeks after the Diwali holidays.
The ASG told the court that 400 houses in the areas where survey was conducted were sealed by the court-mandated monitoring committee and they should be de-sealed so that survey could be done.
"You give the report first. Give it to the amicus also. After you will give the report, we will see," the bench said.
The amicus told the court that monitoring committee has filed a report regarding the SDMC's policy for holding social functions in motels and also in farmhouses.
"The monitoring committee is saying that under which law, they (SDMC) has permitted this," the amicus said.
The bench then told the ASG, "These lands were taken from the farmers, genuine farmers. The DDA (Delhi Development Authority) had acquired these lands. Keep that in mind."
The bench asked the SDMC to respond to the monitoring committee's report within three weeks.
"Lot of these problems are due to the inefficiency of DDA and MCD (municipal corporation of Delhi) since 2006. These bodies blame each other. Monitoring committee is a soft target for them," the bench observed.
The apex court had Thursday came down heavily on DDA and other civic agencies for keeping "their eyes closed" on misuse of residential premises for commercial purpose since 2006 and had said this has led to a "mess" in the national capital.
The court had in July said that a show-cause notice should be issued to the owner of building where unauthorised construction or misuse was found and 48 hours time be given to him or her respond to it as to why action be not taken.
The committee had thereafter told the court that issuing advance notice creates more problem as people "hoodwink" with agencies which perpetuates corruption.
The top court is dealing with the issue of validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006 and subsequent legislations which protect unauthorised constructions from being sealed.
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Metro ridership in Haryana sees over 13 pc rise in 2025-26
Chandigarh (PTI): Haryana's urban transit system witnessed a strong growth in 2025-26, with metro ridership registering a robust 13.55 per cent increase, the state government said in a statement on Thursday.
The progress was reviewed in the 64th board meeting of Haryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation (HMRTC) chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
Between April 2025 and February 2026, the metro network recorded over 1.74 crore passengers, compared to 1.53 crore in the corresponding period the previous year.
July recorded the highest monthly growth at 22.93 per cent, while all months showed consistent positive trends.
Financial performance has also remained strong, with fare revenue rising 12.64 per cent till January 2026, the statement said.
Non-fare revenue surged by 108 per cent, driven by effective monetisation of station spaces, advertisements and commercial activities, resulting in an operating surplus for Rapid Metro.
Further initiatives, including the auction of station naming rights and additional advertisement sites, are expected to strengthen HMRTC's financial position, the statement said.
Appreciating the performance, Rastogi stated that the consistent rise in ridership and revenue reflects the success of Haryana's integrated transport strategy, rising commuter confidence and a clear shift towards public transport.
HMRTC Managing Director Chander Shekhar Khare said that, alongside operational gains, the state is making steady progress on an ambitious pipeline of metro and regional transit projects.
Metro connectivity from Gurugram Sector 56 to Panchgaon is under active consideration, with Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited studying the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and layout plan, and finalising a depot location in Sector 36A near Sihi village, he said.
The Gurugram-Faridabad Namo Bharat corridor has achieved a key milestone, with alignment and station locations finalised and approved by the Haryana government. The National Capital Region Transport Corporation is preparing the DPR, he added.
Similarly, the Delhi-Kundli metro extension is proposed to be placed before the Haryana Cabinet for approval.
The 136.3-kilometre Delhi-Panipat-Karnal RRTS Corridor has also progressed, with the revised DPR submitted for financial concurrence ahead of Haryana Cabinet consideration.
Within Gurugram, DPR preparation has been approved for key intra-city corridors, including the 17.09-kilometre Bhondsi-Subhash Chowk-Rajeev Chowk-Sohna Chowk Railway Station corridor, enhancing connectivity along Sohna Road, Khare said.
