'High Time That No Mercy Is Shown': Jharkhand High Court Orders Demolition Of Illegal Structures In Jamshedpur Within One Month
In a significant order aimed at curbing rampant illegal constructions in Jamshedpur, the Jharkhand High Court has directed the Jharkhand Notified Area Committee (JNAC), Jamshedpur to demolish illegal structures raised by the private respondents within one month.A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad was hearing a PIL concerning...
In a significant order aimed at curbing rampant illegal constructions in Jamshedpur, the Jharkhand High Court has directed the Jharkhand Notified Area Committee (JNAC), Jamshedpur to demolish illegal structures raised by the private respondents within one month.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad was hearing a PIL concerning unauthorised constructions within the jurisdiction of the JNAC.
Earlier, the Court had constituted a three-member committee of advocates to inspect the structures in question. The committee reported that the constructions raised by the private respondents were not in accordance with law. The committee further noted that despite the widespread deviations and constructions beyond sanctioned limits, one or two old houses (presumably belonging to law-abiding persons) still existed in the locality. It also observed that non-compliance with bye-laws and lack of effective monitoring by officials appeared to be the main reasons for the situation, which had victimised honest and law-abiding residents.
Emphasising the seriousness of illegal constructions, the Court observed:
“The Hon'ble Supreme Court has time and again held that it is high time that no mercy is shown to illegal constructions. The Hon'ble Supreme Court has also observed that it is difficult to believe that illegal constructions at such a large scale are possible without the connivance at any event and gross inaction on behalf of the statutory authorities. Therefore, some decisions hold that orders should be made against the municipal or other authorities who are bestowed with the duty of preventing the mushrooming of such illegal constructions. But before we pass any such order in this petition, now that an undertaking has been given by JNAC, we wish to see whether the JNAC faithfully complies with this undertaking.”
The Court directed the State administration to provide all support to the JNAC to ensure compliance. It further made the Secretary (Urban Development), Government of Jharkhand, the Deputy Commissioner, Jamshedpur, and the SSP, Jamshedpur personally responsible for any shortcomings in extending support to the JNAC.
The Court also noted that the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of JNAC would be personally responsible for ensuring compliance with the undertaking given before the Court.
The matter has been listed for further consideration on March 09, 2026.
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Title: Rakesh Kumar Jha v. The State of Jharkhand and Ors.
Case Number: W.P.(PIL) No. 2078 of 2018.
Appearances: Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava, Ms. Nehal Agarwal, and Mr. Saket Kumar appeared for the Petitioners. Mr. Krishna Kumar, Mr. Ajay Kumar Sah, Mr. Kumar Rahul, Mr. Rohit Ranjan Sinha, Mr. S.L. Agarwal, Ms. Ayushi, and Mr. Amit Kumar appeared for the Respondents.