Important update from Saket court on Batla House demolition.
Batla House residents filed a petition in Delhi’s Saket Court against the DDA notice on Friday. According to the May 26 notice following the Supreme Court order, residents of Khasra 279 were asked to vacate houses and shops in 15 days time.
The demolition deadline expired on June 11. Efforts by residents are on to get interim relief.
Batla House demolition: Next hearing on July 2 in Saket Court
In today’s development, the Saket Court issued a notice to the DDA seeking a response on the petition, said a source, adding that the next hearing in the case will be held on July 2.
With Okhla AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan withdrawing his public interest litigation (PIL) against the Batla House demolition drive on Wednesday, residents pinning hopes on interim relief were left disappointed. The PIL was pulled after a vacation bench of the Delhi High Court — comprising Justices Girish Kathpalia and Tejas Karia — indicated that such a plea would not be maintainable, as any judicial order could potentially affect the rights of individual residents.
Justice Kathpalia, as reported by The Indian Express, orally remarked, “Our anxiety is, no injustice should be caused to anybody, but only thing we feel is, individuals have to come.” The court advised that aggrieved individuals must file appropriate proceedings before the competent forum within three working days.
Three-day time to file petitions individually
Following this development, many affected residents, now left to navigate the legal maze on their own, have begun filing individual petitions. Activist Tahir Ali, who is assisting residents with documentation and paperwork, confirmed that while some moved the Saket Court seeking urgent interim relief, others approached the Delhi High Court on Friday.
However, tension escalated by evening as word spread that the Saket Court had scheduled its next hearing for July 2 — more than two weeks away. The delay sparked panic across the neighbourhood, with residents fearing that DDA officials could resume demolition at any moment as they said officials have been landing in the area for survey.
“Residents anxiety will only ease when they get interim relief”
“Whenever the police or officials arrive for structural surveys, residents grow anxious, fearing that Batla House demolition could begin at any moment since the eviction deadline for Batla House already expired on June 11. Many feel they are living on borrowed time, and their anxiety will only ease once they receive interim relief in Batla House demolition case. We’ve also heard of residents in other khasras getting relief, where the DDA had mistakenly issued eviction notices,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed.
Some affected residents gathered at a street corner on Muradi Road on Friday were overheard questioning how the area, despite residents having all the necessary legal documents, has now been labeled as encroached land owned by the DDA.
“If this land truly belonged to the DDA, then why was it allowed to develop unchecked for so many years?” one resident asked.
Sohail, who has lived on Muradi Road since 2011 and recently found an eviction notice pasted on his building, said his father had purchased the house years ago. “We’ve spent our entire lives in Jamia Nagar, shifting later on to this house. This has always been our home,” he said.
Residents also pointed to their neighbour Balram, a 55-year-old vegetable vendor. “He has lived here his entire life,” they said, highlighting the long-standing nature of the community.
Some relief came late in the day
Despite the anxiety, some relief came late in the day: at least 11 residents were granted interim relief by the Delhi High Court, according to petitioner counsel Fahad Khan.
By nightfall, uncertainty still loomed large. Residents gathered in lanes and corners, visibly anxious, as they tried to learn the latest status of ongoing court proceedings — clinging to the hope that their homes might still be saved, at least for now.
