2022 Supreme(Cal) 1358
IN THE HIGH COURT AT CALCUTTA
SHAMPA SARKAR, J.
PKB Consultancy – Petitioner
Versus
The State of West Bengal and Others – Respondents
WPO No. 2408 of 2022
Decided On : 16-08-2022
Advocate Appeared:
For the Petitioners: Bodhisatta Biswas, G. Singh.
For the Respondents: Abhrajit Mitra, Arindam Banerjee, Sarbapriya Mukherjee, Pritha Basu, D. Chakraborty, S. Ahmed, Saptarshi Datta, Amitesh Banerjee, Ipsita Banerjee.
Headnote:
Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980 - Section 412A - Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 - Section 156(3) - Occupier of amalgamated premises - Get a protective order - Petitioner filed writ petition to get a protective order with regard to his alleged claim as an occupier of amalgamated premises - Held, Court is of view that if petitioner has a grievance of being left out from plan, despite directions of Hon'ble Apex Court, remedy of petitioner, if any, would be before appropriate Bench having jurisdiction - Writ petition with regard to his challenge to order passed by KMC under Section 412A is also pending - Failure on part of present owner in providing an accommodation to petitioner in proposed building and in plan which is yet to be sanctioned, cannot be a subject matter for consideration either by this Court or by police authorities - In case there has been violation of orders of writ court or Hon'ble Apex Court, remedy of the petitioner would be before appropriate forum - Without deciding right of petitioner either as an occupier or as a tenant and without deciding on orders and actions of Corporation with regard to demolition, leaving petitioner free to avail of his remedies - Writ petition is disposed of.
JUDGMENT :
SHAMPA SARKAR, J.
1. Upon hearing the learned advocates for the parties, this Court is of the view that this is not a case of police action. The contention of the learned Advocate for the petitioner that the order of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate dated May 17, 2022 in Misc. Case No. 205 of 2022, was not complied with by the police authorities, does not survive. The order has lost its force. Moreover, the Court is of the view that the petitioner has filed the writ petition to get a protective order with regard to his alleged claim as an occupier of the amalgamated premises No. 25, N.S. Road, Kolkata.
2. It appears that there was a proceeding under Section 412A of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act with regard to the premises in question. The Hon’ble Apex Court heard the matter and upon making an observation with regard to the accommodation of the tenants in the newly proposed building, directed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to pass necessary orders by invoking the provisions of Section 412A of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act, 1980. The tenants were given a limited time to vacate the premises. The KMC passed the order. Several writ petitions have been filed before this Court by the tenants, challenging the legality of the order of the KMC.
3. This Court had entertained one such writ petition being WPO/2105/2022 (in the Original Side). The writ petition was entertained only for determination of the issue as to whether the tenants who continued to be in possession in the premises and who had been protected by order of the Hon’ble Apex Court, had been provided for in the proposed building plan or not. It was the specific contention of the KMC that all the tenants had been accommodated in the proposed building. There were 258 tenancies, out of which 201 tenants were found in possession. The Corporation was directed to display the proposed building plan with the list of tenants in the notice board outside the building department of the office of the Corporation at 5, S.N. Banerjee Road, Kolkata, for perusal of all the interested parties. The writ petition was kept pending. The Appellate Side matters which were listed together with the Original Side matter as they arose out of the self-same cause of action were detagged, on the prayer of the petitioners.
4. Thereafter, the co-ordinate Bench took up the matter. The Assistant Engineer (Civil) and the Executive Engineer (Civil)/Building/Borough-IV & V KMC, filed a report along with photographs. In the said report, it had been indicated that all the 258 tenancies had been accommodated in the building plan which had been submitted for sanction.
5. It appears that an order has been passed directing the KMC to sanction the building plan. By order dated June 15, 2022, Her Lordship refused the prayer of the petitioner for interim rehabilitation during the process of demolition of the structure standing at the amalgamated premises No. 25, Netaji Subhas Road. Such order was passed in view of the specific direction of the Hon’ble Apex Court dated August 31, 2021.
6. It also appears that Her Lordship directed the Corporation to take prompt action for consideration of the proposed building plan. In the writ petition filed by the petitioner being WPA/6082/2022, Her Lordship found the facts to be the same as WPO/2105/2022 and directed that the order as passed by this Court on 18th May, 2022 with certain directions, shall be carried out by the Corporation with regard to the display of the plan. The petitioner now alleges that during the pendency of the challenge of the order passed by the Corporation, the order of demolition had been given effect to. Allegation is that the police authorities failed to protect the petitioner on the basis of the order passed by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate 10th Court, Calcutta in Misc. Case No. 205 of 2022.
7. It appears that the petitioner approached the police authorities with certain complaints of forceful removal of certain articles. All