The government's new proposal to families dreaming of a 120-yard plot near Vasant Kunj: Buy a flat in Narela or pay Rs 17 lakh; find out what the court said.
New Delhi: The dreams of 153 landless Dalit families in Rangpuri village, adjacent to Vasant Kunj, a posh area in the national capital, have been entangled in files and court dates for the past four decades. In 1983, these families were allotted 120-square-yard plots each under a central government scheme. But even 42 years later, the reality is that wild Kikar trees have grown on the vacant land, and transporters park their buses and trucks there.
A portion of the land acquired by the Delhi government in 2012 for staff quarters remains unbuilt. Meanwhile, the families fighting for their rights remain hopeful for justice.
A three-decade-long battle in court
This case has been pending in court for over 30 years. Nearly a decade and a half ago, the Delhi High Court made it clear that beneficiaries should receive their dues. Following the Supreme Court’s directive, in 2016, the High Court initiated contempt proceedings against the officials, taking suo motu cognizance.
Despite this, the government has now argued in court that the allotted land is unavailable. In lieu of the plots, the government has proposed to provide these 153 families with a small flat (EWS category) in Narela, about 35 kilometers from Rangpuri. If they do not want the flats, they have been given the option of accepting ₹1.7 million as compensation.
The High Court is strict on the government’s procrastination.
Hearing the case on November 10, a bench of Justices Nitin Vasudev Sambre and Anish Dayal expressed displeasure with the government’s attitude. The court said that the government should not try to “obstruct or nullify” the judicial orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court by resorting to “administrative decisions.” However, the court also advised the petitioners not to adopt an adamant attitude and be prepared to consider the government’s “reasonable proposal.”
Meeting with the LG also inconclusive
On November 17, senior advocate Sanjay Jain, the Delhi government’s lawyer, informed the court that given the contempt proceedings that had been ongoing for almost a decade, a meeting with the Lieutenant Governor (LG) had been scheduled for November 21, 2025, to resolve the issue. However, sources present at that meeting on Friday say that no concrete results were achieved.
How did this entire matter begin?
The legal battle began in 1993, when a beneficiary, Nand Kishore (now 67 years old), approached the High Court through his lawyer, Rakesh Saini. He had sought possession of a plot allotted to him in 1983 under the Prime Minister’s Twenty Point Programme (TPP). This scheme was launched by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975 with the aim of providing land to underprivileged and landless families.
In 2011, a single bench of the High Court ruled in Nand Kishore’s favor, stating that it was the government’s “legal obligation” and “social responsibility” to provide land for housing to landless residents of Rangpuri village. However, because the allotment did not require prior approval under the Delhi Panchayat Raj Rules, the court directed officials to find alternative land to fulfill the TPP’s purpose.
Land Swap and a Game of Promises
After the government’s appeal was dismissed in July 2012, the Supreme Court also rejected the government’s petition in January 2013 and threatened contempt proceedings if the High Court order was not implemented.
A series of promises and U-turns followed:
- 2016: The administration told the High Court that it had no land in Rangpuri, but offered 25 bighas and 5 biswas of land in the nearby village of Rajokri.
- March 2017: The administration changed its stance and said that land had been identified in Kheda Dabar village in Najafgarh.
- 2018: The administration again backtracked, stating that land from any other village could not be allotted to Rangpuri residents.
What is the current situation?
In October 2024, the administration informed the High Court that the government had no land available. Under the policy decision, claimants could be given 153 EWS flats measuring approximately 35.50 square meters in Sector G-7, Pocket 4, Narela, or an ex-gratia amount of ₹17 lakh.
In March of this year, petitioner Nand Kishore appealed to the court to either cancel the acquisition of land in Malikpur Kohi and Rangpuri, or grant him the 120-yard plot in Rajokri previously mentioned by the administration. The next hearing in this case is scheduled for December 1st, and all eyes are on it.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy: Hindi News