The Delhi High Court has given residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister's official residence six weeks to vacate their homes and relocate to alternative accommodation in Savda Ghevra.
The order applies to residents of Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp and DID Colony in the Race Course area near Lok Kalyan Marg. The court said the residents must be settled in the allotted accommodation within the six weeks.
The court also said that after the deadline, the authorities can clear the land, if necessary, with police assistance.
The order was passed by a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, which heard appeals by residents who challenged an earlier eviction order.
Why are the slum clusters being relocated?
The Centre had petitioned to evict the three clusters, citing security and defence concerns.
The slums are close to an operational Air Force Station and in a protected area close to the Prime Minister's official residence. The government argued that removing unauthorised structures from the area was required to improve and secure defence infrastructure and to address other public and security issues.
The residents had challenged the relocation and argued that the eviction process did not comply with the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015.
The division bench, however, did not challenge this and approved the relocation plan.
The case had earlier been considered by a single judge. On May 11, the single judge had ordered residents to vacate within 15 days after finding that eviction notices had already been issued in October 2025.
This gives residents more time and is the first step in the rehabilitation process to be watched by the court.
The government has decided to relocate the affected residents to a DUSIB colony in Savda Ghevra, in outer Delhi. The court proceedings show that 717 dwellers from the three clusters are covered by the relocation plan.
Court Orders Monitoring Of Rehabilitation Process
However, while allowing the relocation, the Delhi High Court said rehabilitation must be meaningful and protect the residents' right to live with human dignity.
The court formed a monitoring committee headed by retired judicial officer Manmohan Sharma to oversee the rehabilitation process.
The committee will have senior officials from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, DUSIB, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Jal Board, Directorate of Education and the health department. It will monitor whether the authorities provide the facilities and support promised to the residents.
The court also directed DUSIB to assist residents to move their household belongings to their new accommodation.
The rehabilitation site was one of the big issues in the case. Residents had previously voiced concerns about a lack of access to basic services like healthcare, schools, transport, water and electricity.
The High Court had earlier directed authorities to provide several facilities at the relocation site. These included access to schools, electricity, LPG connections, healthcare services and transport support.
It has now been made clear that those promises should be honoured in the relocation process.
The monitoring committee will be in place for six months, with the court having the option to extend its term by another two months if necessary.
The authorities will therefore have to complete the relocation while also making sure families don’t end up without basic facilities after moving.
To the residents, that means six weeks of having to leave their existing homes to go to the allotted accommodation.
The order allows the government to remove the three slum clusters from the area in question, which is important from a security and defence point of view.
The court has tried to balance the two issues by allowing the eviction while requiring the government to ensure proper rehabilitation.
So now we have a six-week deadline, and that will be the next step of the process. If residents do not leave the property after the deadline, the court has allowed the authorities to clear the land with police assistance if necessary.
With the new committee, the relocation process will continue to be monitored to ensure that the affected families get the accommodation and services.
