Delhi High Court: In a petition filed by Shree Hanumant Dharmik Ramleela Committee against the Delhi Development Authority (‘DDA’), seeking formulation of guidelines or a Standard Operating Procedure (‘SOP’) for the booking and allotment of sites for organizing Ramleela in Delhi, Tara Vitasta Ganju, J., barred any further bookings, online or offline, on DDA grounds, till formulation of new SOPs.
Background
The petitioners sought the records of meetings held by the respondents and the formulation of guidelines and SOPs for resolving disputes related to the grant of permission to use sites for Ramleela events in Delhi. They also requested the appointment of an independent body to replace Respondent 3, the Delhi Dharmik Mahasangh (‘DDM’). The petitioners highlighted that in previous years, specifically 2022, there were no issues with the booking process as it was streamlined by receiving the DDM’s list before opening bookings. However, in 2023, the process faced disruptions due to delays and discrepancies caused by the list’s late release, leading to multiple cancellations and re-bookings for the same sites.
The DDA acknowledged the issues arising from the delays and submitted a status report, indicating that the problems stemmed from an Office Order dated September 07-09-2023 and the delayed submission of lists by DDM. Similar petitions had been filed by other parties regarding the same issue, and the Court had previously issued directions for the allocation of Ramleela sites for 2023 to mitigate immediate concerns. The DDA presented a policy document from 18-12-2019, which detailed the procedure for temporary allotment of open spaces but did not account for any third-party lists like those from the DDM.
Decision and Analysis
The Court recognized the need for comprehensive guidelines and SOPs to prevent the confusion experienced in 2023 and noted that the existing policy did not address the involvement of third-party organizations such as the DDM in the booking process. The Court directed the DDA to formulate and implement comprehensive SOPs/guidelines within five weeks from the date of the present order and no later than 25-06-2024. The Court further directed that the SOPs should clearly state if the DDA intended to rely on lists from any third-party organizations.
Additionally, the Court further instructed the DDA to publicize these SOPs/guidelines to provide awareness among all potential users of the Ramleela sites. Until the new SOPs were published, the Court ordered the DDA not to undertake any online or offline bookings for Ramleela sites. The DDM was directed to finalize and submit its list for 2024 allocations by 15-06-2024. The Court emphasized the importance of adhering to the timelines to avoid further delays and requested the DDA to comply strictly with the order’s deadlines.
In light of the above, the Court disposed of the petition and all pending applications with specific directions for the booking of sites for Ramleela events in Delhi.
[Shree Hanumant Dharmik Ramleela Committee v. DDA, 2024 SCC OnLine Del 3965, Order dated 20-05-2024]
Advocates who appeared in this case :
Advocates for the Petitioners: Piyush Gupta, Karan Aggarwal, Himanshu Gupta, Khushboo Rai, Saurav Dogra
Advocates for Respondents: Manika Tripathy, Standing Counsel, Ashutosh Kaushik, Dishant Bhati, D.S. Bhardwaz, Mehak Nakra, ASC, Aditi Kapoor, Devansh Solanki, Shalini Pasricha, Gaurav Seth, Akanksha Mehra
