NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to expedite the resolution of its long-standing disputes efficiently and collaboratively. Justice Dharmesh Sharma, presiding over the matter, also emphasised the need for timely settlement of cases, urging the DDA to adopt a more proactive approach.
In a recent directive, Justice Sharma instructed every lawyer on the DDA's panel in the Delhi High Court to prioritize at least 10 cases each, focusing on key issues such as property mutation and demarcation, conversion from leasehold to freehold, flat allotment, and unauthorized constructions or deviations from sanctioned building plans.
The court further ordered the DDA’s Vice Chairman to establish a review committee consisting of a senior panel lawyer, a chief law officer, and a senior officer nominated by the Vice Chairman, that will assess and streamline these disputes.
The DDA's panel counsel will be required to submit their findings and recommendations in a sealed cover to the committee. This body will then gather input from various department officials, scrutinize the cases, and determine which disputes can be resolved through Lok Adalats or mediation facilitated by the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre.
“The Review Committee meetings be held regularly every week, after 14th September 2024”, read the order.
“In the present scenario of docket explosion, the DDA should adopt a solution-oriented approach to address the concerns of its customers and litigants, rather than confounding them with technical and/or hegemonistic attitudes of its officials. Such a disposition leads in unnecessary and prolonged litigations, entailing huge costs, wasting time and efforts, and a detrimental impact on the justice delivery system,” observed the court.
While mandating the directions as an ongoing process, the court stressed the quality of references rather than number of referrals.
The court further directed that “a balance sheet shall be compiled at the end of each successive month to analyze the referrals and settlements reached between parties”.
This decision comes after the DDA failed to execute a conveyance deed in favour of the petitioner, Bimla Sachdev, despite earlier court orders. The case involved a property in sector-8, Rohini, Delhi, for which the conveyance deed was pending.
The court had earlier found the DDA in contempt for wilful disobedience of its orders, invoking Sections 11 and 12 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. In response, the Vice Chairman of the DDA and the Deputy Director of Land Disposal appeared before the court to tender unconditional apologies, which were accepted by the court.