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2023 Supreme(Guj) 152

IN THE HIGH COURT OF GUJARAT AT AHMEDABAD
ARAVIND KUMAR, ASHUTOSH J. SHASTRI, JJ.
HARSHAYU INFRASTRUCTURES SERVICES – Appellant
Versus
STATE OF GUJARAT – Respondent
Letters Patent Appeal No. 1721 of 2019, Special Civil Application No. 7865 of 2019, Civil Application (For Joining Party) No. 1 of 2020
Decided On : 02-01-2023

Advocates:
Advocate Appeared:
For the Appellants : YATIN N. OZA, ASHISH B. DESAI.
For the Respondents: K.M. ANTANI, MAULIN RAWAL, SATYAM Y. CHHAYA, A.J. YAGNIK.

Headnote:

JUDGMENT : Slum Rehabilitation Scheme - The Regulations - [The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010] - [Summary of Acts and Sections: The judgment discusses the application of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010, in the context of a dispute between the appellant and the respondent authority. The court examines the obligations of the developer, the process of obtaining consent from slum dwellers, and the authority's decision to cancel the work order issued to the appellant. The court also considers the migration from the 2010 Policy to the 2013 Policy, and the overall public interest and financial benefits of the decision. The judgment concludes that the decision to cancel the work order is not arbitrary and is in line with the public interest and the provisions of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010.]

Fact of the Case:

The appellant, a Nodal Agency appointed by the respondent-State Government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, is involved in the implementation of a Scheme framed under 'The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010'. The appellant's case is that the respondent authority's delay in preparing the list of eligible slum dwellers has resulted in a hold-up of the project. The respondent authority proposed to cancel the work allotted to the appellant, citing reasons such as the claim of more than 700 houses by slum dwellers, lack of cooperation for document verification, and the impracticality of constructing 700 houses under the 2010 Scheme. The appellant contends that the cancellation was uncalled for and that the authority's inaction prevented the appellant from proceeding with the project. The appellant sought relief through a writ petition, which was dismissed by the learned Single Judge.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the decision to cancel the work order was not arbitrary and was in line with the public interest and the provisions of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010. The court also noted the migration from the 2010 Policy to the 2013 Policy, which was found to be more beneficial to a larger section of society. The court concluded that the petition involved disputed questions of fact and refrained from exercising extraordinary jurisdiction.

Ratio Decidendi: The court's decision was influenced by the public interest and the provisions of the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme and The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010. The court also considered the migration from the 2010 Policy to the 2013 Policy, which was found to be more beneficial to a larger section of society. The court refrained from exercising extraordinary jurisdiction due to the presence of disputed questions of fact.

Final Decision: The appeal was dismissed, and the order passed by the learned Single Judge in Special Civil Application No. 7865 of 2019 was confirmed. Civil Application No. 1 of 2020 was also dismissed.

JUDGMENT :

ASHUTOSH J. SHASTRI, J.

1. The present Letters Patent Appeal under Clause 15 of the Letters Patent is filed by the appellant-original petitioner against the judgment and order passed by the learned Single Judge dated 04.09.2019 in Special Civil Application No. 7865 of 2019.

2. The background of facts of present appeal is that appellant-original petitioner is a Nodal Agency appointed by the respondent-State Government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to implement the Scheme framed under “The Regulations for the Rehabilitation and Redevelopment of the Slums, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as “the Regulations”). The said Regulations have been framed with an object to construct a multistoried building for rehabilitation of slum dwellers of Final Plot No. 282 having Town Planning Scheme No. 20 of Mouje Navrangpura, Near Gulbai Tekra, Ahmedabad. Under the rehabilitation scheme, the respondent-corporation and the State Government are under an obligation to prepare the list of eligible slum dwellers and appellant had to remove 75% of slum dwellers from the final plot for development and implement the scheme for construction of multistoried residential units.

3. It is the case of the appellant that some of the slum dwellers of the aforementioned final plot filed Civil Suits against the appellant seeking relief that possession of the slum dwellers from the land in question may not be disturbed without due process of law and along with suit, notice of motion was also moved seeking interim relief. The learned City Civil Judge before whom suits were filed being Civil Suit Nos. 2905/2013 and 3075/2013 had dismissed the notice of motion as a result of it, said slum dwellers of respective suits (plaintiffs of the respective suits) have preferred Appeal from Order before this Court in Appeal From Order Nos. 133/2015 and 134/2015 and after due hearing, said appeals came to be dismissed vide order dated 05.05.2016. However, while disposing of the said Appeal from Orders, certain observations have been made by the learned Single Judge, which have given rise to passing of an order dated 01.10.2016 by the respondent authority to evict slum dwellers from the said final plot. Since it was practically impossible to evict such large numbers of slum dwellers, appellant was directed to submit documentary evidence of other slum dwellers claiming residence under the Scheme of 2010. According to appellant, said order was a defective order and practically not possible to be obeyed. As a result, appellant submitted representations before the authority on 16.08.2016, 06.10.2016 and 18.01.2017 for granting permission to proceed with the rehabilitation project. According to appellant, no decision was taken by the authorities upon such representation and subsequently vide order dated 21.09.2015, this Court directed respondent-corporation to carry out the survey with regard to the eligible slum dwellers under the scheme and pursuant to said order, respondent authority with a team comprising of Assistant City Engineer (Housing Project), Assistant Vigilance Officer, Town Development Inspector along with other representatives of the Slum Society/Association has visited the plot in question on several occasion namely on 21.09.2015, 21.10.2015, 02.11.2015, 10.08.2016, 19.10.2016 and thereby completed the inspection for which according to the appellant the videography was also recorded.

4. It is the case of the appellant that thereafter on 21.01.2016, on broad consensus being arrived at between the parties, this Court had directed the slum dwellers to submit the list of project affected persons (who are eligible) to the corporation on or before 03.02.2016 and same was to be submitted along with requisite documents and corporation was directed to scrutinize and examine the said documents. Taking note of the fact that corporation had received 782 applications and same had been scrutinized by corporation, out of which prima facie 108 applicants were found to be

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