Delhi High Court allows Dussehra celebrations at Sultanpuri park [Read Order]

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has allowed a plea by Rahul Dhaka Vikas Society to conduct Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations at 5,000 sq mt area at a park in Sultanpuri here in accordance with all requisite permissions including for the safety, traffic, fire arrangements, etc.

Justice Tara Vistasta Ganju passed the order on a writ petition contending that the petitioner Society has been holding Ramleela and Dussehra celebrations at the Indra Park, Jalebi Chowk, Sultanpuri, Delhi since 1980s and has time and again been granted permission by DDA. 

The Petitioner-Society contended that the Sultanpuri locality has a population of approximately 1.65 lakh people and the Ramleela festivities at the Park are attended by lakhs of people from the Sultanpuri and nearby areas.

The respondent DDA contended they will be unable to provide the land to the petitioner society. It submitted that the Park was not available in the approved list for religious festivals and that some part of it was handed over for the construction of a hospital and the rest was transferred for sports complex.

It also said the work for planting of trees and plants has been awarded on August 22, 2023 and if the petitioner society were permitted to hold Ramleela and Dusshera celebrations, this would come in the way.

The land development agency of the central government also said since the plot is bounded by boundary wall and there is only single entry/exit point, there is no provision of entry of relief and fire vehicles in case of an emergency and the plot will not be able to accommodate the huge crowd and vehicles.

The petitioner society said the park has been marked as a “Multipurpose Ground” as defined in the Master Plan for Delhi, 2021.

After going through the records and the photographs, placed on record, the bench said, although DDA submits that the development of the sports complex has been taken up and is under progress, the photographs clearly show that no construction is taking place in the Park at the relevant site or otherwise.

"In fact, the activity on the Park site seems to have commenced only after the filing of the Writ Petition as is evident from the photographs filed," it said.

The court said given the fact that the land is still lying vacant, and the petitioner society has conducted Ramleela function for several years, permission is granted to the petitioner society to host Dussehra Ramleela celebrations in an area of 5000 sq. metres between October 15, 2023 to October 26, 2023.

[Read Order]