Delhi HC rejects review plea against demolition of Signature View Apts

The original order, passed on December 23 last year, had allowed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to demolish and redevelop the structurally unsafe towers.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking a review of its December 2024 judgement approving the demolition and reconstruction of Signature View Apartments in north Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, stating that there was “no merit” in the request.

The court had directed the residents to vacate the flats within three months and asked the DDA to pay monthly rent to the owners until the reconstructed flats are handed back.  (HT Archive)

“This Court is of the considered view that there is no case made out for review of the judgement dated 23rd December, 2024. No merit is found in the present review petition,” said Justice Mini Pushkarna in her 13-page verdict. She further noted, “By way of the present review petition, the review petitioner has tried to re-argue his petition, which is certainly not the intent and purport of a review petition, as this Court would not re-examine the case on merits while hearing a review petition.”

The original order, passed on December 23 last year, had allowed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to demolish and redevelop the structurally unsafe towers. The court directed the residents to vacate the flats within three months and asked the DDA to pay monthly rent to the owners until the reconstructed flats are handed back.

The review plea, filed by resident Man Mohan Singh Attri, argued that the judgement was passed without considering “factual, legal and documentary evidence” and alleged a “deep-rooted conspiracy” between corrupt DDA officials and the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) to demolish all 12 blocks, based on IIT Delhi’s structural audit dated November 19, 2022. Attri contended that the report was “illegal and invalid” and that Blocks B and C were structurally sound.

Representing the DDA, advocate Ritika Bansal opposed the review plea and defended the validity of the IIT Delhi report.

The order comes shortly after a division bench, on July 18, urged residents to vacate their flats to enable the DDA to begin demolition and reconstruction. The apartments, comprising 336 flats, were constructed between 2007 and 2010. Structural issues were flagged within a few years, and in 2023, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi issued demolition orders.