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The Supreme Court has set aside a Delhi High Court judgment that had directed the Centre to vacate residential premises at Sujan Singh Park in New Delhi occupied by the Directorate General of Health Services. The dispute relates to government occupation of apartments owned by Sujan Singh Park Property Owners Association and leased to the Union government since the 1970s for use as hostels and residential accommodation for doctors and medical staff. The apex court ruled that the High Court had exceeded its jurisdiction while directing eviction proceedings in a writ petition concerning payment disputes and lease terms. The matter has now been remanded for reconsideration of contractual and tenancy issues through appropriate legal proceedings. The judgment has implications for long-standing government occupancy arrangements in private residential properties in Delhi, particularly where lease agreements and public authority usage overlap with private ownership rights.
The Supreme Court has set aside a Delhi High Court judgment that directed the Union government to vacate residential premises at Sujan Singh Park, New Delhi, occupied by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), holding that the High Court had exceeded the scope of its writ jurisdiction while adjudicating disputes arising out of lease agreements and tenancy arrangements. Advertisement
The matter concerns apartments in Sujan Singh Park that have been occupied by the Centre since the 1970s for use as residential accommodation and hostel facilities for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel attached to government health institutions in the national capital. The premises were leased from members of the Sujan Singh Park Property Owners Association under various tenancy agreements executed over several decades.
In its earlier ruling, the Delhi High Court had directed the Centre to vacate the premises after disputes emerged regarding continuation of occupation, lease renewals and rental arrangements between the property owners and the government authorities. The High Court had also observed that continued occupation without valid lease extensions could not be sustained indefinitely.
The Union government challenged the order before the Supreme Court, arguing that the High Court had travelled beyond the limited scope of the writ proceedings and effectively adjudicated contractual disputes relating to tenancy rights, possession and eviction without a full civil trial. The Centre contended that issues involving lease terms, renewal conditions and rights of occupation required examination under appropriate civil or statutory proceedings rather than through writ jurisdiction.
A bench of the Supreme Court accepted the Centre’s submissions and held that disputed questions involving tenancy and contractual obligations could not be conclusively determined in writ proceedings under Article 226 of the Constitution. The apex court observed that the High Court’s direction asking the Centre to vacate the premises amounted to granting substantive civil relief without adjudication of factual disputes through proper evidentiary proceedings.
The Supreme Court consequently set aside the High Court’s directions relating to eviction and possession of the premises. However, it clarified that the property owners would remain free to pursue remedies available under law before competent forums in accordance with tenancy and property regulations.
The court further noted that questions relating to unpaid dues, lease continuation, contractual obligations and occupation rights would require independent examination based on the terms of the agreements executed between the parties over the years.
The dispute highlights the complexities surrounding long-term government occupation of privately owned residential properties in Delhi, particularly in cases where public institutions continue to function from leased premises beyond original contractual periods. Sujan Singh Park, located near Khan Market and India Gate in central Delhi, has historically housed a mix of residential occupants, institutional tenants and government-linked accommodation arrangements.
Legal observers indicated that the ruling reinforces judicial limitations in exercising writ jurisdiction over matters involving contested contractual and tenancy claims, especially where detailed factual determination is necessary before eviction or possession-related relief can be granted.
Source: PTI
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