Centre to justify provision protecting sealing in SC reply

New Delhi, Feb. 15: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it would submit a reply “justifying” a special 2006 law which protects unauthorised construction from being sealed in Delhi.

The Centre told a bench comprising Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta that it had nothing to do with the sealing as it was for the municipal agencies in Delhi to look into it.

Additional solicitor general ( ASG) A. N. S. Nadkrani, representing the Centre, told the bench that entire documents of the case was not available and they would file an affidavit after looking into all the details.

“I have a draft but I have to see all the documents. I do not want to file a

sketchy affidavit,” Nadkarni said, adding, “We have nothing to do with the sealing. We are concerned with the law.

Sealing is for the municipal agencies to look into”.

Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the matter, said the issue was of 2006 and it was strange that after 12 years, the Centre wants to file an affidavit.

To this, the bench observed, “According to Union of India, the Supreme Court is responsible for the delay”.

The bench, while asking the Centre to file a reply in three weeks, posted the matter for hearing on April 2.

“The additional solicitor general says that he will collect the papers from the amicus and file an affidavit justifying the Delhi Laws ( Special Provisions) Act, 2006 within a period of three weeks from today. We make it clear that no further time will be granted,” the bench noted in its order.