Encroachment on Service Lane in Front of Judges’ Enclave in Gurugram; Appeal to the Chief Justice—
Gustakhi Maaf Haryana- Pawan Kumar Bansal-
An issue of alleged encroachment on a service lane in Gurugram’s Sector 54 has been raised, with a request for the attention of the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The matter, pointing to the inconvenience caused to residents and the broader implications for law enforcement.
According to reports, a portion of the service lane opposite Jalvayu Towers, located in front of the Judges’ Enclave in Sector 54, has been encroached upon. The situation has reportedly encouraged similar actions in the vicinity. A nearby builder has installed barricades in front of his residential complex, effectively blocking the passage along the service road.
This obstruction has caused inconvenience to local residents, particularly elderly citizens who regularly use the service road for their morning walks.
Judicial officers posted in Gurugram reside in the Judges’ Enclave. Directly in front of this enclave, where the encroachment exists, there is also an official police post of the Gurugram Police. Commuters attempting to pass through the route are often stopped at this point. It is said that the arrangement has been put in place for the security of the judges.
While the presence of a police post for security purposes is understandable, the blocking of the service lane raises questions. When the Gurugram Police established the post, was due consideration given to the wider impact on public movement? If a law enforcement agency itself appears to be protecting an encroachment, it becomes difficult to understand how similar violations elsewhere in the city would be addressed.
At present, nearly half a kilometre of the service lane is reportedly obstructed. In the same area, a nearby residential project has created a green belt bearing the names of HSVP and GMDA. This raises the question of whether officials from HSVP and GMDA have taken note of the barricades restricting public movement along the service road.
The Haryana government is often criticized for being overly accommodating toward builders. In such a context, when an encroachment stands adjacent to the Judges’ Enclave, it raises the question of who will bring the matter into focus.
Postscript:
The intention of this article is not to cast any aspersions on the judiciary. The principle at stake is that the law must apply equally to all. It may be recalled that me once authored a book on Haryana’s political landscape, highlighting how influence can sometimes be misused. While releasing the book, the then Chairman of the Press Council of India, Justice P. B. Sawant, remarked that Bansal had served a public cause.