JAIPUR: The Rajasthan high court expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the state government’s failure to respond regarding the case involving 86 illegally developed colonies on land belonging to the Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB). On Monday, the court granted the government a final chance to submit its response by December 9.
During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) brought forth by the civil society group Public Against Corruption, a division bench led by Acting Chief Justice SP Sharma mandated the government to provide a comprehensive report on actions taken in line with previous court orders.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Poonam Chand Bhandari, contended that despite repeated instructions from the court, neither the RHB nor the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) had complied with the order to reclaim possession of the disputed public land. She stated, “The authorities have neglected a high court order from August 20, even as the Supreme Court dismissed a special leave petition from the state government regarding this issue. Influential individuals continue to claim large areas of the land legally owned by the RHB, with construction ongoing at several sites.”
Bhandari also urged that contempt proceedings be initiated against officials who have deliberately disobeyed court orders, emphasizing their failure to remove encroachments or take action against violators.
Previously, the high court had directed relevant authorities to clear all encroachments from the disputed land and submit a compliance report within eight weeks.
