'Majesty Of Law Is Supreme...': SC's Big Remark In Delhi Ridge Contempt Case

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Last Updated:May 28, 2025, 11:26 IST

The apex tribunal recovered the DDA to beryllium successful contempt for amerciable felling of trees successful Delhi's Ridge country for a roadworthy widening project, but recovered nary mala fide intent.

Supreme Court of India (File photo/PTI)

While proceeding the lawsuit implicit the amerciable felling of trees successful Delhi’s Ridge area, the Supreme Court connected Wednesday said that the majesty of instrumentality is ultimate and contempt is required by the law framework.

The Supreme Court was pronouncing the judgement successful the contempt lawsuit against the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for tree-felling successful Delhi’s Ridge country for a road-widening task to supply proscription to the CAPFIMS Paramilitary Hospital.

A seat of Justices Surya Kant and NK Singh said the behaviour of the respondents has been contemptuous and their enactment fell into the scope of transgression conduct. “The majesty of instrumentality is ultimate and contempt is recognised by the law framework. It is not subordinate to parliamentary authorities and is linked to judicial autonomy," said Justice Kant.

He further said the court’s attack had to beryllium strict erstwhile determination was wilful disobedience of its orders. While the seat recovered DDA’s behaviour to beryllium contemptuous, citing deliberate concealing of the felling of trees successful the Ridge area, it ruled retired immoderate mala fide intent arsenic the intent of the task was to service paramilitary jawans.

“The broader nonsubjective was to widen roads for a infirmary (to service jawans). This lawsuit falls nether the class of administrative misjudgment. We are guided by law morality and grounded successful social, economical justness and equity," the tribunal observed. “Access to prime aesculapian attraction for the officers is simply a necessity, and it reflects the motivation compass of the state."

The tribunal called for urgent measures to beryllium taken by the DDA, on with the Delhi government, wrong 3 months. A three-member committee formed by the tribunal volition oversee these measures and taxable periodical reports to the court.

DDA and the Delhi authorities person besides been directed to instrumentality broad measures to heighten greenish screen successful the nationalist capital, with the full disbursal to beryllium covered by the DDA. Additionally, it has requested an recognition process to find which affluent individuals benefited from the roadworthy expansion. These individuals volition beryllium taxable to a one-time levy equivalent to the operation costs.

The tribunal besides directed that DDA officials liable for the contempt enactment beryllium fined Rs 25,000 on with ceremonial censure successful summation to immoderate departmental action, noting that it was a classical lawsuit of organization missteps and administrative overreach.

“Henceforth, each notification oregon bid regarding afforestation, roadworthy construction, histrion felling oregon immoderate enactment with imaginable ecological effect indispensable explicitly notation the pendency of the applicable proceedings earlier this Court. This is directed truthful that ignorance is not taken arsenic a defence successful future," Justice Kant said.

The apex tribunal had earlier issued a announcement of transgression contempt against DDA vice president Subhasish Panda for allowing large-scale felling of trees successful the confederate Ridge’s Satbari country to conception a roadworthy from Chhattarpur to South Asian University.

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