Jharkhand High Court directs demolition of illegal buildings in Jamshedpur

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur, April 23 : The High Court of Jharkhand, presided by Justice Rangan Mukhopadhyay and Justice Deepak Roshan, heard PIL 2078/2018 filed by Rakesh Jha regarding illegal constructions in Jamshedpur. Senior advocate RN Sahay, representing the court-appointed advocates, submitted the second report of the Commission on the matter.

During the hearing, the advocate for Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) informed the court of sealing 46 buildings. However, the court emphasized the need for demolition rather than sealing and directed the petitioner to address the issue of illegal constructions.

Petitioner’s advocate Akhilesh Srivastava raised concerns over misleading information presented by JNAC advocates. Akhilesh submitted an affidavit listing 46 buildings sealed in 2011 and unsealed by 2024, highlighting the absence of any demolition of illegal constructions.

The court, reviewing the Commission’s report, expressed surprise over reports of illegal constructions, including a kitchen in the basement of Center Point Hotel, which had been used for parking and commercial purposes.

In view of the seriousness of the situation, the court deferred the matter for further hearing and examination on April 30, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive review of the Commission’s report.

Advocates Akhilesh Srivastava, Rohit Sinha, and MI Hasan represented the petitioner during the hearing.