New Delhi: It is “high time” the authorities decide the fate of residents of Sainik Farm, Delhi High Court said Tuesday, asking Centre to take a call on regularising the south Delhi area tagged as an “affluent colony” by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and govt.“We are not concerned as to what kind of decision you come about, but it is high time you decide. They should know their fate,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia told the counsel for central govt.The bench directed Union housing and urban affairs ministry, Delhi govt, DDA and Municipal Corporation of Delhi to hold a meeting and place the outcome before it through an affidavit sworn by the competent authority of the ministry.The court noted that due to the inability of govt agencies to take a call, the residents were unable to even carry out repairs. It said that though any construction was illegal, govt could come up with schemes to devise a way forward. “You can charge development charges. You can save certain nature of constructions. You can come out with a scheme where certain construction may be required to be demolished. Conduct a survey, prepare a plan. Try to save as much as can be saved,” the court orally remarked.Additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma asserted that a holistic view could be formed by govt only after Master Plan Delhi (MPD) 2047, prepared by DDA, was approved by Centre and was duly published.He added that the “fate” of the colony was known to its residents from its very inception. “There are so many areas where you permit illegality, allow it to perpetuate and then bring out a legislation to regularise. Why did you bring the special protection Act then? Just to save the illegalities?” the bench responded, emphasising a decision should be taken.Observing that the approval of Centre to MPD 2047 was likely to take some time and it would come into operation only after it is published, HC asked the authorities to hold a meeting on the issue of regularisation within two months. The exercise was ordered on Aug 13, 2025, it said. The matter will be heard again in Nov.The court was hearing a batch of petitions over regularisation of Sainik Farm colony. On Aug 13, 2025, it had asked the authorities to sit together to arrive at a decision on the fate of its inhabitants and make an endeavour to address the issues raised in these petitions.Centre, in an affidavit, earlier said it had taken a conscious decision to not get into the regularisation of illegal colonies that were categorised as affluent colonies like Sainik Farm and that govt was focusing on the redevelopment work of the 1,797 unauthorised colonies subdivided into two classes.
