$~41 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI Date of decision: 21st September, 2026 Uploaded on: 22nd September, 2026 # CNR No. DLHC010433842026 + W.P.(C) 13390/2026 & CM APPL. 64686/2026, CM APPL. 64687/2026 REETU MONGIA .....Petitioner Through: Mr. Rakesh Patiyal, Mr. Surender Nagpal, Mr. Rohan Nagpal & Ms. Nikita Nagpal, Advs. versus GOVERNMENT OF NCT OF DELHI AND ORS .....Respondents Through: Mr. N. Hariharan, Sr. Adv. with Mr. Rakesh Patiyal, Mr. Surender Nagpal, Mr. Sanjiv Sharma, Ms. Punya Rekha Angara, Mr. Amartya, Mr. Aman Akhtar, Ms. Vasundhara Raj Tyagi, Mr. Arjan Singh Mandla, Mr. Apoorv Kumar, Mr. Rohan Nagpal & Ms. Nikita Nagpal, Advocates for R-7. Ms Deeksha L. Kakar, Adv, Ms Sana Parveen, Adv, Ms Kajal, Adv. for DDA. Mr. Vinay Kaushik, G.P. for UOI. Mr. Manu Chaturvedi, Standing Counsel for MCD. Mr. Anubhav Gupta, Mr. Shashi Pratap Singh, Mr. Abhinav Sharma & Mr. Tushar Sannu, Advs. for RCS. CORAM: JUSTICE PRATHIBA M. SINGH JUSTICE DINESH BHATT Prathiba M. Singh, J. (Oral) 1. This hearing has been done through hybrid mode. CM APPL. 64687/2026 (for exemption) 2. Allowed, subject to all just exceptions. Application is disposed of. CM APPL. 64686/2026 3. The present application has been filed by Respondent No. 7 – Nav Shree Manav Dharm Ramlila Committee (hereinafter ‘Ramlila Committee’) through its office bearer Mr. Vikesh Sethi, the President, inter alia, seeking permission to conduct Shri Ramlila Manch from 11th October, 2026 to 21st October, 2026. 4. The case of the Applicant is that it has been conducting Ramlila on the vacant land of Dera Ismail Khan House Building Cooperative Society Ltd. (hereinafter ‘the Society’) since 2019. 5. Mr. Hariharan, ld. Senior Counsel for the Applicant submits that the Applicant had applied to the Administrator of the Society i.e., Mr. V.K. Rastogi on 20th August, 2026 and had also paid a sum of Rs.1,50,000/- by means of a cheque payment seeking permission to hold the Ramlila on the land of the Society. It is his further submission that the said application has been duly acknowledged by the Administrator and the cheque has also been encashed. In view thereof, the Bhumi Poojan for conducting the Ramlila from 11th October, 2026 to 21st October, 2026 was also conducted on 30th August, 2026. 6. Mr. Hariharan, ld. Senior Counsel further submits that when the order dated 14th September, 2026 was passed by this Court, these facts do not appear to have been brought to the notice of the Court. 7. The Court has questioned the Administrator who is present in Court, whose only stand is that he did not grant any permission for the Ramlila. However, on a query from the Court as to why the application filed by the Respondent No.7 was not disclosed on 14th September, 2026, he is unable to give a satisfactory answer. 8. The Administrator-Mr. Rastogi has today handed across a letter dated 21st August, 2026 stated to have been delivered on 25th August, 2026 in the office of the Registrar of Cooperative Societies (hereinafter ‘RCS’), wherein he seeks permission from the RCS to empower him to grant permission for running of the Ramlila. 9. This Court has also heard Mr. Shashi Pratap Singh, ld. Counsel for the RCS in the connected matter i.e., W.P.(C) 11548/2024 titled ‘Gopi Chand Bhatia & Ors. v. Registrar of Delhi Cooperative Societies & Ors.’, who is requested to accept notice in this application on behalf of Ms. Nikita Bhutani, ld. Counsel. 10. After hearing ld. Counsels for the parties and Mr. Rastogi, the Court clearly is of the opinion that these facts were not brought to the notice of the Court on 14th September, 2026 when the order was passed. On 14th September, 2026, it was specifically recorded that neither the trustees of Amardev Trust nor the Administrator had given any permission to hold any event on this land. The relevant portions of the said order is set out below: “8. The Court has heard the ld. Counsels for the parties. As per Mr. Sharma, ld. Senior Counsel, the stand of the SADE Trust is that by way of a Trust Deed dated 14th February, 1986 the Society had vested in the Trust a parcel of land admeasuring 7.70 acres, out of which 4.17 acres was to be used for setting up of a school. It is on this basis that the SADE Trust claims rights in the 7.70 acres of land. 9. The Petitioners and the Administrator dispute this position. Reliance is placed by Mr. Panda, ld. Sr. Counsel upon various orders passed by this Court including order dated 16th August, 1983, 23rd September, 1983 and 28th September, 1983 in W.P.(C) 1777/1983. 10. It is further submitted on behalf of the Petitioners that the land is being misused by the SADE Trust and its trustees and recently some bhoomi poojan was also conducted. In respect of the same, reliance is placed on certain photographs that have been handed over by Mr. Panda, ld. Sr. Counsel. As of today, certain pandals are also being erected on the subject land. 11. Mr. Kundan Chitkara, one of the trustees, submits that the SADE Trust has not given the subject land to any entity or organization for holding any event. 12. Mr. V.K. Rastogi, the Administrator of the Society also submits that he has not given any permission to anybody to hold any event on this land. 13. Upon being queried, Mr. Sharma, ld. Senior Counsel for the SADE Trust submits that he would place an affidavit on record giving the following details: (i) The trust deed of the Trust; (ii) The various changes made in the trustees with the Trust from time to time including the list of present trustees; (iii) Activities being undertaken by the Trust. 14. Considering the fact that both the Society and the SADE Trust are denying having given permission for conduct of any event on this land, there is a serious apprehension that the subject land may fall into trespassers hands or some third party rights may be created illegally. 15. Under these circumstances, it is directed that no further erection of any pandal, no construction and no use of the land shall be made for any events without permission of this Court. The concerned SHO, P.S. Model Town, shall make sure that the existing constructions/pandals etc., are removed by the next date of hearing. 16. The concerned SHO, P.S. Model Town shall ensure that this order is fully complied with and a status report shall be filed by the next date of hearing. The status report shall contain details as to who were the persons who had conducted the Bhoomi Pujan as reflected in the photographs and under whose instructions, the pandals are being erected. The Photographs be obtained from the Court Master if the same are not with the counsel for the Delhi Police. 17. Ms. Saroj Bidawat, appearing for the Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police shall communicate this order to the concerned SHO, P.S., Model Town for necessary information and compliance. 18. On the next date of hearing, the GNTCD as also the RCS shall make further inquiries in respect of the subject land and file a detailed status report as to in what manner these events have been conducted on the subject land and who has granted the permission for conduct of the events. The DDA shall also place on record its affidavit in respect of the change of land use after considering the new master plan which is under preparation and stakeholder consultation. 19. The SADE Trust shall file its affidavit within 4 weeks and the affidavit shall be signed by the Managing Trustee of the said Trust. 20. The electronic file of W.P.(C) 8995/2011 be also tagged along with the present record.” 11. The clear impression conveyed to the Court was that some inter-lopers/trespassers were holding some event without permission. The Administrator made no such disclosure on the said date that the Applicant had sought his permission or that any payment was made by the Applicant. This is misrepresentative conduct on behalf of the Administrator. 12. The Administrator ought to have informed the Court that he had received an application for conduct of Ramlila, that the cheque for Rs.1,50,000/- had been encashed and that he had written a letter to the RCS seeking permission to empower him to act on behalf of the Society. 13. Considering that all these facts were concealed from the Court and considering that the Applicant has been holding Ramlila for several years in this area, the following directions are issued: i) The Applicant is permitted to conduct the Ramlila in the ground of the Society on a temporary basis from 11th October, 2026 to 21st October, 2026; ii) The RCS shall, within a period of ten days, appoint a new Administrator in place of Mr. Rastogi to administer and to take care of the everyday administration of the Society as also to comply with the order dated 14th September, 2026; iii) An official of the RCS shall visit the office of the Society on 24th September, 2026 at 11:30 A.M. and take control of all the records; iv) The RCS shall examine the accounts of the Society and ensure that the amount received of Rs.1,50,000/- has been credited to the account of the Society and has not been withdrawn by anyone; v) Mr. Rastogi shall handover all the records to the newly appointed Administrator; vi) After handing over of the entire records of the Society including the bank statements, etc., and the details of the bank accounts, Mr. Rastogi shall stand restrained from visiting the office of the Society in future. vii) The newly appointed Administrator shall take charge and start administering the Society in accordance with law under the supervision of the RCS; viii) Signatories in the bank accounts shall be changed by the newly appointed Administrator; ix) The newly appointed Administrator shall also give effect to all the directions given in the order dated 14th September, 2026 and the connected matter; x) After the conduct of the Ramlila i.e., 21st October, 2026, within a week, the entire land shall be vacated by the Respondent No. 7 to the satisfaction of the newly appointed Administrator, including clearing of garbage and restore the land to its original position. xi) During the conduct of the Ramlila, on a daily basis, the President and the Secretary of Respondent No.7 shall be personally responsible to ensure safety and security of all the visitors, for maintaining proper cleanliness in the area and for also getting the traffic monitored and regulated so that there is no congestion created in the area. xii) The S.H.O. of the concerned area shall also extend his cooperation in this regard. 14. Subject to the above, the preparations for the Ramlila is permitted to be undertaken by Respondent No.7. 15. The letters handed over by Mr. Rastogi are taken on record. Let a copy of the same be issued to Mr. Shashi Pratap Singh, ld. Counsel for the RCS, who shall seek instructions and file a status report in this regard before the next date of hearing. 16. The previous order dated 14th September, 2026 is only modified to this extent. All remaining directions in the said order shall be complied by the parties concerned. 17. Application is disposed of in these terms. PRATHIBA M. SINGH JUDGE DINESH BHATT JUDGE SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 Rahul/ck W.P.(C) 13390/2026 Page 2 of 2