New Delhi – The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the demolition of the structurally unsafe Signature View Apartments (SVA) in Mukherjee Nagar and ordered the remaining residents to vacate their flats by October 12, 2025. A bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to pay rent to the residents with a 10% annual increment until they receive the reconstructed flats.
The court’s decision upholds a previous ruling by a single judge in December that deemed the buildings “dangerous and unsafe for habitation” based on a report from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. The apartments, constructed by the DDA between 2007 and 2010, began showing signs of structural decay within a few years of being handed over to residents.
To facilitate a smooth transition, the court has instructed the DDA to establish a camp office at the SVA premises within two days to assist residents with documentation and other formalities. The residents have also been permitted to take their belongings, including bathroom fittings and electrical items, with them. The court emphasized that the DDA must carry out the demolition with “minimum inconvenience.”
The DDA’s petition to construct an additional 168 flats by using an enhanced floor area ratio was also challenged in court, a matter that is still being litigated. The court’s order today was passed in the context of the DDA’s challenge to the single judge’s December ruling, which had approved the demolition and reconstruction of the towers but rejected the DDA’s plan for additional flats.
The court reiterated that the stay of residents in the apartments is at their “own risks,” a warning consistent with its earlier orders on the matter. The final decision puts an end to the residents’ efforts to get a stay on the demolition, but ensures they will be compensated with rent until the new flats are ready.