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SC Overturns HC Order for CBI Probe in Ambience Mall Case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has annulled a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that mandated a CBI investigation into the alleged illegal conversion of residential land for the construction of the Ambience Mall in Gurugram, Haryana. Claims were made that 18.98 acres of land on the Delhi-Jaipur national highway, designated for the Ambience Lagoon Island Residential Complex, was reduced to 7.9 acres, with a commercial complex taking over the remaining land. The top court deemed the high court’s directive for the CBI to file an FIR as unnecessary, stating it was based on unverified and inconclusive evidence. Justices J.B.…

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SC Urges Delhi Court to Consider CBI Charges on Builders-Banks Nexus

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court directed a special CBI court to take cognizance within two weeks of three chargesheets filed by the agency concerning the “unholy nexus” between banks and developers that has defrauded homebuyers in NCR, and to proceed with the trial. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was informed by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the CBI, that significant progress in investigating all 25 homebuyer cases would be achieved by March. Last July, the court permitted the CBI to initiate 22 cases regarding the nexus between banks and…

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Pune civic body bags ₹713 crore from extended property tax amnesty

PUNE: Civic Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram announced on Monday that the property tax amnesty scheme has been extended until February 16. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) reported collecting around ₹713 crore from tax defaulters during the initial two months of the scheme, which originally concluded on January 15. “The response to the scheme was positive. However, election-related factors impacted collections. This extension allows more property owners to take advantage of it,” Ram stated during a press briefing after the Standing Committee meeting. Additionally, Ram noted that the administration is in the final stages of preparing the municipal budget for 2026–27,…

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HC Seeks Noida’s Response to SC Order on Land Payment

NOIDA: The Allahabad High Court has requested clarification from the Uttar Pradesh government and Noida Authority regarding compliance with the Supreme Court’s July 10, 2024, ruling mandating compensation to landowners under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. A division bench consisting of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Kunal Ravi Singh has sought information about whether the compensation has been reassessed and issued according to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which generally offers higher payments including revised market value, solatium, and interest. The Noida Authority acquired land for industrial development under the…

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FIR Filed Against Builders After Techie Drowns in Noida Pit

NOIDA: An FIR has been filed against two builders who own the water-filled pit in Sector 150, where a 27-year-old software engineer drowned after his SUV crashed through a damaged boundary wall around midnight on Friday. According to police, the plot lacked proper security measures like a boundary wall, fencing, or reflectors, making it hazardous during the dense fog. ACP Hemant Upadhyay stated that the case was lodged with Knowledge Park police following a complaint from Yuvraj Mehta’s father. Charges under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 106 (causing death by negligence), and 125 (act endangering life) of BNS have been filed…

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NGT Seeks Input on Violations in Haridwar Housing Project

DEHRADUN: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has requested the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board and the Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority to respond to accusations of illegal construction and environmental breaches at the Mantra Happy Homes Group housing project in Haridwar. The hearing is scheduled for April 7. This order was issued on January 12 in response to a petition by resident Sanjeev Kumar, who argued that the housing project was initially approved for 170 flats and 68 plots, with a designated green park area of 2,202.7 square meters. He claimed that the project was altered, increasing the flats to 272 without a…

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NGT Issues Notices for Illegal Construction in Rohini Green Belt

Sure! Here’s a rewritten version of the content: NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, DDA, and other relevant agencies concerning a complaint about unauthorized construction in a green belt located in Rohini’s Sector 16. The tribunal mandated that the respondents comply with the 2021 Master Plan and the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, instructing that both preventive and punitive measures be implemented within one month. The NGT is reviewing a petition from activist Varun Gulati, who alleges encroachment and illegal building activities on a designated green area in Block-D, Pocket-1, Sector-16,…

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Delhi’s Property Tax Collection Hits Record ₹2,700 Crore

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has achieved a record property tax collection, exceeding Rs 2,700 crore by December 31 for the 2025-26 financial year. This represents a significant increase of approximately 45% compared to the same period last year, according to officials’ statements made on Saturday. Officials noted that this growth was accompanied by a notable rise in the taxpayer base. The number of registered property taxpayers grew from 10.31 lakh in 2024-25 to 12.43 lakh this year, reflecting an increase of nearly 21%. Civic officials attributed this surge to enhanced taxpayer engagement, stricter enforcement, and favorable…

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15 Arrested in ₹4 Crore Dharani-Bhu Bharati Scam in Jangaon

WARANGAL: On Friday, Jangaon police apprehended 15 members of a gang involved in a Rs 3.90 crore scam concerning Dharani and Bhu Bharati land registrations in Jangaon and Yadadri districts. Police reported that nine other suspects are currently at large. According to Warangal police commissioner Sunpreet Singh, the main culprits, Pasunuri Basava Raju and Jella Pandu, operated online service centers in Yadagirigutta. Another suspect, Ganesh Kumar, allegedly linked them to online land registration centers. The gang collected registration fees from farmers via MeeSeva operators and online service centers, falsely promising to pay challans using NRI accounts. The extorted money was…

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SC: Homebuyers, RWAs can’t join developers’ insolvency process

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that homebuyers’ societies, or Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), generally established for the maintenance and management of common facilities in housing projects, do not possess the right to intervene in the insolvency proceedings of the developer company. A bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan upheld the insolvency proceedings against Takshashila Heights India Private Ltd under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016. It specified that if creditors aim to utilize the provisions of the code, they must genuinely seek to revive the corporate debtor. The court stated, “If revival is not…