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2021 Supreme(Guj) 1134

IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
BIREN VAISHNAV, J.
KESHAV APARTMENT - Appellant
Versus
STATE OF GUJARAT - Respondent
SPECIAL CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 16798 of 2021
Decided On : 22-12-2021

Advocates Appeared:
For The Appellant : MR M R MOLAVI
For The Respondent: MR.MEET THAKKAR, AGP, MR SATYAM Y CHHAYA

Headnote:

Constitution of India, 1950 - Article 226 and 21 - Seeking quash and setting aside the impugned letter - To Stop the work of installation of 4G mobile tower near Keshav Apartment - Keshav Apartment is that respondent no.3 has installed a 4G Mobile Telecom Tower without considering health risk of families residing in nearby vicinity - Case of petitioner people are residing installation of mobile tower near the wall of petitioner apartment could cause brain cancer, heart disease and various such other ailments - Petition is substantially based on a strong fear that the radio frequency waves emitted from the BTS in question is likely to cause health hazards to the residents of flats and further that respondent No.2 has erected the BTS in violation of guidelines issued by the DoT - Petitioners that the BTS has been erected without any permission or sanction of residents of the residential premises in question - Petitioners, in support of their case that the BTS would be harmful to residents of the flats, have relied upon information downloaded from Wikipedia inter ministerial report issued by the Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology - Expert Group to study possible impacts of communication towers on Wildlife including birds and bees, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest - Held, permission granted for installation of Mobile Base Station by the Panchayat would not cause as such any health hazards nor will it affect fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens under Article 21 of Constitution. Right to life enshrined under Article 21 includes all those aspects of life which make life meaningful, complex and worth living. Development of technology has its own ill-effects on human beings - Petitioner and others for installing towers will have necessarily to comply with the statutory provisions contained in Chapter XIX of the Kerala Municipal Building Rules, 1999 – Court have reached to conclusion that petitioners are not entitled to any of the reliefs as prayed for in the petition – Petition dismissed.

ORDER :

1. Heard Mr.M.R.Molavi learned advocate for the petitioner, Mr.Meet Thakkar learned AGP for respondent no.1 and Mr.Satyam Chhaya learned counsel appearing for respondent nos.2 and 3. Though served, nobody appears for respondent no.4.

2. In this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the prayer of the petitioner read as under:

    “(A) YOUR LORDSHIPS, may be pleased to issue a writ of mandamus or a writ in the nature of mandamus or any other appropriate writ, order or directions directing quashing and setting aside the impugned letter dated: 16/04/2021 issued (ANNEXURE ‘A’) issued by the respondent no. 3 herein and thereby be pleased to direct the respondent No.4 to stop the work of installation of 4G mobile tower near Keshav Apartment situated at Chandkheda, T.P -44, Ahmedabad in the interest of the justice.

(B) Pending admission hearing and final disposal of this petition, YOUR LORDSHIPS, may be pleased to direct the respondent No.4 to stop the work of installation of 4G mobile tower near Keshav Apartment situated at Chandkheda, Ahmedabad which is started in pursuance to the impugned letter dated 16/04/2021 issued (ANNEXURE ‘A’) in the interest of justice.”

3. Essentially the grievance of the petitioner - Keshav Apartment is that the respondent no.3 has installed a 4G Mobile Telecom Tower without considering the health risk of the families residing in the nearby vicinity. It is the case of the petitioner that 4000 people are residing in 1000 flats in Chandkheda area and installation of mobile tower near the wall of the petitioner apartment could cause brain cancer, heart disease and various such other ailments.

4. Mr.Chhaya would rely on decision of the Division Bench of this Court in case of Muktipark Co Operative Society - Part – IV Versus Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation & other passed in Special Civil Application No.5548 of 2014, wherein, this Court extensively after considering the issue and analyzing the aspects of installation of mobile towers held that they are unlikely to pose a risk of health. The relevant paragraphs of the judgment read as under:

    “Analysis:

6. We have heard Ms. Niyati K. Juthani, the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Mr. Mihir Thakore, the learned Senior Advocate assisted by Ms. Amrita M. Thakore, the learned advocate appearing on behalf of the respondent No.2, Mr. Deep D. Vyas, the learned advocate appearing on behalf of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Mr. Vandan Baxi, the learned Assistant Government Pleader appearing on behalf of the State Government and Mr. Shakeel A. Kureshi, the learned advocate appearing on behalf of the Union of India.

7. Having heard the learned counsel appearing for the parties and having gone through the materials on record, the only question that falls for our consideration in this petition is, whether the petitioners are entitled to any of the reliefs as prayed for in the petition.

8. Ordinarily, the court would allow litigation in public interest if it is found :

i. That the impugned action is violative of any of the rights enshrined in Part III of the Constitution of India or any other legal right and relief is sought for its enforcement;

ii. That the action complained of is palpably illegal or mala fide and affects the group of persons who are not in a position to protect their own interest on account of poverty, incapacity or ignorance;

iii. That the person or a group of persons were approaching the Court in public interest for redressal of public injury arising from the breach of public duty or from violation of some provision of the Constitutional law;

iv. That such person or group of persons is not a busy body or a meddlesome inter-loper and have not approached with mala fide intention of vindicating their personal vengeance or grievance;

v. That the process of public interest litigation was not being abused by politicians o

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