HC seeks report on plea alleging illegal construction in pvt school

The Delhi High Court has sought a status report from the North Delhi Municipal Corporation on a PIL seeking demolition of an alleged unauthorised construction in the premises of a private school here.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also questioned the NGO for filing the petition and asked who was "instigating" it.

"Who is instigating you to file this petition? You will lose your credibility. Don't come irrationally," the bench said.

Harkrishan Das Nijhawan, the general secretary of NGO Paardarshita Welfare Foundation, claimed that the private school was indulging in commercial activity and it had allowed a bank to function from the premises.

The bench observed that nowadays, especially after the murder of a seven-year-old boy in Ryan International School in Gurgaon, schools do not allow outsiders to enter.

"Have you gone inside the school. You say the school premises are being used for commercial purpose. Nowadays no school allows any outsider to enter, especially after the Ryan school incident. The bank and ATM may be for school's own purpose," it said.

The court was hearing the plea which has sought demolition of the alleged unauthorised construction in the private school in Rajendra Nagar here.

The area comes under the jurisdiction of the North MCD and the court sought a status report in this regard from the civic body.

Besides, the North MCD, the petition has made the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the bank and the school management as parties.

The NGO said it lodged a complaint in January with the senior officials of the civic body about alleged unauthorised construction in the school premises.

The petition also sought a direction to the authorities to lodge an FIR against Karol Bagh zone officials and the school management.