Reaffirming its earlier stance on structural safety, the Delhi High Court has dismissed a review petition challenging the demolition and redevelopment of Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar. The review plea, filed against the Court’s December 2024 judgment that authorised the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to raze and reconstruct the compromised towers, was found to be without merit.
Justice Mini Pushkarna observed, “This Court is of the considered view that there is no case made out for review of the judgement dated 23rd December, 2024. No merit is found in the present review petition.” The Court also took note of the petitioner’s attempt to re-litigate issues already decided, and stated, “By way of the present review petition, the review petitioner has tried to re-argue his petition, which is certainly not the intent and purport of a review petition, as this Court would not re-examine the case on merits while hearing a review petition.”
The original judgment had directed residents to vacate the premises within three months and ordered the DDA to provide monthly rent to the flat owners until their units are rebuilt and handed over.
Notably, the latest order comes close on the heels of a July 18 direction by a division bench urging residents to vacate their flats, enabling the DDA to initiate the demolition and reconstruction process. The 336 flats in the Signature View complex, constructed between 2007 and 2010, have faced structural concerns for years. Demolition notices were issued by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in 2023.
The review petition was filed by resident Man Mohan Singh Attri, who asserted that the judgment under review had overlooked crucial “factual, legal and documentary evidence.” He alleged a “deep-rooted conspiracy” involving certain officials of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Resident's Welfare Association (RWA) aimed at demolishing all 12 residential blocks. Attri contended that Blocks B and C were structurally sound and challenged the validity of the structural audit report prepared by IIT Delhi on November 19, 2022, terming it “illegal and invalid.”
However, Advocate Ritika Bansal, appearing for the DDA, opposed the plea and supported the validity of the structural audit conducted by IIT Delhi.
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