The Delhi High Court has refused to regularise an unauthorised temple and Satsang Bhawan built on DDA Nazul land reserved for a nursery school in Priyadarshini Vihar, Laxmi Nagar. The court directed that the murtis be respectfully relocated with proper ceremonies within four weeks.
Justice Jasmeet Singh dismissed the petition filed by Sanmati Sabha, which had sought regularisation of the temple and allotment of the approximately 926-square-metre plot. The court held that the temple was constructed in 1991-92 without DDA approval or any legal change in land use.
The land had originally been earmarked for a nursery school under the perpetual lease granted to the American Embassy Employees Co-Operative Housing Society for development of Priyadarshini Vihar. The court found that this designated use had never been changed.
The petitioner argued that an earlier 2016 DDA approval supported its claim. However, that approval became ineffective after a Division Bench directed the DDA to reconsider the allotment in 2017. The DDA later said the request could not be considered, citing the revised Nazul land rules and its policy to dispose of such land through auction.
Delhi: High Court refuses to regularise temple built without sanction on DDA Nazul land reserved for a nursery school; Justice Jasmeet Singh dismisses Sanmati Sabha petition; directs respectful relocation of murtis within four weeks; says temple structure cannot continue on land whose use was never legally changed; notes society may participate in future DDA auctions for another eligible plot.
Faith deserves dignity. But every temple must also stand on land secured through lawful and transparent means.
