C orders razing of 40-storey owers over norms’ violation
The Supreme Court uesday ordered the demoliof twin 40-storey towers of y firm Supertech’s Emerald t project in Noida over e violation of building s. A bench, headed by Jushananjaya Y Chandrachud, ld the 2014 judgment of the habad high court and ted Supertech to pull down owers at its own cost within months under the superviof an expert body. It has also d the firm to refund all the ebuyers within two months t from paying ₹2 crore to the dents’ Welfare Association led the fight against the illeonstruction. e top court came down ily on the Noida Authority olluding with the builder to way for the illegal construcin breach of municipal and safety norms. It said the sanction plan approved by uthority was illegal since it ed the minimum distance ria. The top court added the could not have been sancd even otherwise without within four months and the refund of money to apartment buyers. This judgment was stayed by the top court after the firm filed an appeal.
On August 4, the top court reserved its verdict while reproaching the Authority for its “shocking exercise of power” in sanctioning the two residential towers in a green area, and then blocking the right to information requests from homebuyers about the building plans. public authority, you have to take a neutral stand. Your conduct reeks of corruption from the eyes, ears, and nose and you are trying to find fault with the homebuyers.”
The top court pointed out that when the homebuyers asked for the plan, the Authority wrote to Supertech on whether to share it and refused to give it to them at the developer’s behest. It added it was only after the high court expressly directed the Authority to give the plan that it did so.
Supertech defended the construction of twin towers and claimed there was no illegality. It added it lost the case in the high court on two counts -- distance criteria and not taking consent of homebuyers before constructing the towers. The firm said the Emerald Court Owner Resident Welfare Association, which moved the high court challenging the construction of the twin towers, did not even exist when the plan was sanctioned, and construction began. It said out of 633 people, who booked the flats initially, 133 moved out to other projects; 248 took refunds, and 252 still had their bookings with the company in the project.