Closure of Dr Dang's lab: SC extends deadline till Aug 20

In a relief to Delhi-based leading pathological laboratory Dr Dang's Diagnostic Centre, the Supreme Court today extended till August 20 its deadline to shut down one of its centres located in a posh residential area here.
The apex court had earlier ordered that the lab be shut down by June 28 on the ground that besides causing health hazards, the lab has been creating air and sound pollution.
A vacation bench of justices Praffulla C Pant and Amitava Roy granted the relief to the owners of the laboratory on the condition that they will file an undertaking to the effect that no more extension would be sought by them.

"Having considered the submissions and facts of this case, the interim application is disposed of with the direction that the applicant shall shift the lab from the premises in question by August 20," it said.
A bench of justices V Gopala Gowda and C Nagappan had earlier ordered the authorities to seal the premises being run at south Delhi's posh Hauz Khas locality from 1995 and file a compliance report.
The apex court had said that both MCD and DPCC "abdicated" their statutory duties in permitting the owners to carry on with the unlawful activities.

"The conduct of the MCD and the DPCC for their inaction is highly deplorable as they have miserably failed to discharge their statutory duties on account of which there has been a blatant violation of the rule of law and thereby a large number of residents of the locality are suffering on account of the unlawful activities of the respondent-owners, whose activities are patronised by both the authorities," the bench had said.

The court had also quashed the Regularisation Certificate issued by MCD under Mixed Land Use for running the path lab as there was a lot of "inconsistency" within the document.
The court was hearing a plea by Anirudh Kumar who had contended that it has become completely impossible for him to live on the second floor of the premises due to the sound and air pollution caused by the centre.