New Delhi: Unauthorised construction is rapidly rising in Delhi and NCR which needs to be dealt with a stern hand, a court here said while sending a man behind bars for a month for building structures on his property without necessary approvals.
Additional Sessions Judge Lokesh Kumar Sharma sent south Delhi resident Dulal Biswas to jail while dismissing his appeal against a magisterial court order.
"Keeping in view the fact that unauthorised constructions are on the rise in the National Capital Region of Delhi and the people indulging in such illegal construction activities and the society needs to be given a strict message, no leniency can be shown towards the appellant especially when the magistrate had already awarded him a notional sentence which is much lesser to maximum punishment provided for it.
"Accordingly, the appeal as filed is dismissed, being devoid of any merits, and the appellant is taken into custody to serve the sentence as awarded to him..." the judge said.
According to prosecution, Biswas carried out illegal construction in the form of sun shades on all three floors of his property in Lajpat Nagar here without requisite permission from South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).
An FIR was lodged against the accused and he was arrested and chargesheeted for offences under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act.
On September 22 this year, charges were framed against him to which he pleaded guilty and consequently was sentenced to one month jail and a fine of Rs 1,000 was imposed on him.
Challenging the magisterial court order, Biswas had contended that the sentence was against the principles of law and the punishment awarded to him was very harsh as the trial court had failed to appreciate the fact that he was not a previous offender.
