In March 2022, the Forest Department of the Government of New Delhi issued a notice and schedule for demolition of settlements inside the Rangpuri Pahadi Forest Division, South Ridge - a forest reserve notified under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The settlements that were specified for demolition included Sapera Camp, Gulabo Camp, Israil Camp, Shankar Camp, and Nala Camp. The residents were given 14 days time to vacate their homes before for the demolitions.
This demolition was initiated to comply with a 2021 order of the National Green Tribunal. According to which forest land in South Delhi was to be transferred to the State Forest Department and cleared of all encroachments.
After receiving the notice, the residents met with the Delhi Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, to halt the demolitions and demand rehabilitation under the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015. The Minister asked officials of the Forest Department and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to prepare a rehabilitation plan for the affected settlements.
A writ petition was also filed by the Rangpuri Pahadi Basti Union demanding suspension of the demolitions pending proper rehabilitation. A stay order was granted to the petitioners against the demolition in April 2022. Despite the stay order, fresh demolition orders were issued in June 2022. However, the demolitions did not take place.
The Rangpuri Pahadi settlements came into existence in the 1980s when labourers were recruited from neighbouring states to work in the surrounding stone-crushing factories. At that time, the settlements were built on gram sabha land, which was under the control of the Revenue Department. This land was later declared as a reserve forest under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act to protect the sensitive ecology of the Southern Ridge. As a result, the land and the villages on it were brought under the purview of the Forest Department through a notice issued by the Lt. Governor of Delhi in 1996, which also deemed the settlements as an encroachment on forest land.
After nearly 20 years, in February 2022, the final notification under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act was sent by the Forest Department to the Revenue Department for consideration to declare the land as a reserved forest and in March 2022, the first eviction notices were issued.
Evictions have been taking place in Rangpuri Pahadi since as early as 2014. But at the same time settlements have continued to exist in the area despite it being declared a reserve forest. According to a 2021 report by the Housing and Land Rights Network, Israil Camp and Nala Camp alone comprise of 5500 houses. A housing rights activist affiliated with the residents union informed LCW that between 7000-8000 households will be affected by the new demolition orders. Another media report estimates that nearly 10,000 children living in the settlement will be impacted due to eviction.
The limited relief for residents is that parts of settlements in Rangpuri Pahadi are notified Jhuggi Jhopris under the list of 675 Jhuggi Jhopri Clusters identified by DUSIB. This makes the residents eligible for either in-situ rehabilitation or rehabilitation within a radius of 5 kilometres as per the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.
This is also the grounds on which the petition has been filed in the High Court. In the last hearing in January 2023, the court noted an issue concerning the inventory of rehabilitation accommodation, which was said to be exhausted by the DUSIB. The next hearing is scheduled for September 2023. Despite the stay order on demolitions while hearings are ongoing, the threat of eviction looms large over the thousands of residents of Rangpuri Pahadi.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Urban
Type of Land
Common
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
No
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-consultation with stakeholders
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Delhi High Court
Case Number
W.P.(C) 6666/2022
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Department of Forest and Wildlife, National Green Tribunal, Government of New Delhi, Revenue Department, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Rangpuri Pahadi Basti Union
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Asmi is a researcher based out of New Delhi. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College and a Master's degree in Development Studies from Azim Premji University. She has been working with various people’s movements for the past five years including the National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information and Jan Sarokar. Her areas of interest include transparency, accountability, participatory governance, access to social justice, rights and entitlements.
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