http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 1 of 3  

PETITIONER: MUNICIPAL COMMITTEE, KARNAL

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: NIRMALA DEVI

DATE OF JUDGMENT24/11/1995

BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. HANSARIA B.L. (J)

CITATION:  1996 AIR  892            1996 SCC  (1) 623  JT 1995 (9)   576        1995 SCALE  (7)183

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                          O R D E R      Leave granted.      An area  admeasuring 4  ft. x  6-1/2  ft.  situated  in Chaura Bazar  near Rai  Saheb Jogiwara, Karnal is claimed to belong to  the respondent.  The appellant  asserted it to be part of  public street.  They found  that the respondent had constructed a  shop on  the said  portion of  public street. Consequently, they  issued a  notice, after  inspection, for demolition  of  the  shop.  Since  the  respondent  did  not demolish  the  shop,  the  appellant  got  the  construction demolished necessitating the respondent to file the suit for damages. The  Trial Court dismissed the suit by decree dated November 15,  1990. On appeal, the Additional District Judge by judgment  and decree  dated October 29, 1993 reversed the decree of  the Trial  Court and granted damages for a sum of Rs.20,000/-. The  High Court  in Second  Appeal No.173/94 by order dated  January 24,  1994 dismissed the appeal as usual in limine, which in recent past is getting changed by giving reasons which  one hopes  shall become  a  rule.  Thus  this appeal by special leave.      The only  question is  whether the aforestated disputed area is  a public  street.  Section  2(23)  of  the  Haryana Municipalities Act,  1973 (for  short, ’the  Act’),  defines "street" thus :      (23)  "street"   shall  mean  any  road,      footway,  square,  court,  public  park,      alley or  passage,  accessible,  whether      permanently  or   temporarily   to   the      public, and  whether a  thoroughfare  or      not;  and  shall  include  every  vacant      space notwithstanding  that  it  may  be      private property  and partly  or  wholly      obstructed by  any gate,  post, chain or      other barrier, if houses, shops or other      buildings abut  thereon, and  if  it  is

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 2 of 3  

    used by any persons as a means of access      to  or   from  any   public   place   or      thoroughfare, whether  such  persons  be      occupiers of  such buildings or not, but      shall not include any part of such space      which the  occupier of any such building      has a  right at all hours to prevent all      other persons  from using as aforesaid ;      and shall  include also  the  drains  or      gutters therein,  or on either side, and      the land,  whether covered or not by any      pavement, verandah or other erection, up      to the boundary of any abutting property      not accessible to the public; Section 2(21) defines "public street" thus : "(21) "public street" shall mean any street -      i)    heretofore     levelled,    paved,      mettalled,   channelled,    sewered   or      repaired  out   of  municipal  or  other      public funds;  unless before  such  work      was carried  out, there was an agreement      with  the  proprietor  that  the  street      should  not   thereby  become  a  public      street, or  unless such  work  was  done      without the  implied or  express consent      of the proprietor, or      ii)  which,   under  the  provisions  of      section  180,   is   declared   by   the      committee to  be,  or  under  any  other      provision of  this Act becomes, a public      street; Under Section  61(1) (g)  of the  Act,  all  public  streets vested in the Municipal Committee which records thus :      61. Property  vested in  committee - (1)      Subject to  any special reservation made      or to  any special conditions imposed by      the State  Government, all  property  of      the nature  hereinafter in  this section      specified  and   situated   within   the      municipality shall  vest in and be under      the control  of the  committee, and with      all other  property  which  has  already      vested or  may  hereafter  vest  in  the      committee, shall  be held and applied by      it for  the purpose of this Act, that is      to say, -           x    x    x    x    x    x      g)   all public  streets, not being land      owned by  the State  Government, and the      pavements, stones  and  other  materials      thereof, and  also trees growing on, and      erections,  materials   implements,  and      things provided for, such streets." Section 181  of the  Act gives  power to lay prosecution for encroachment on  any street  etc. Sub-section (2) of Section 181 gives  power to  demolish the  unauthorised construction thus :      (2)  Without prejudice  to the provision      of sub-section  (1), the  Committee may,      by notice,  call upon any person who has      committed a  breach  of  the  provisions      contained in  the said  sub-section,  to      stop   the   unauthorised   construction      forthwith and  to remove  or alter  such      immovable  encroachment  or  overhanging

http://JUDIS.NIC.IN SUPREME COURT OF INDIA Page 3 of 3  

    structure as  aforesaid within  a period      of seven  days and  if such person fails      to show cause to the satisfaction of the      Committee or the Chief Executive Officer      or any  person authorised  by it  or him      shall proceed to remove the unauthorised      construction  and   the  cost   of  such      removal  shall  be  recovered  from  the      defaulter. If the defaulter fails to pay      the  cost  of  removal  or  unauthorised      construction on  demand  within  fifteen      days, the  costs  shall  be  recoverable      from such  person  as  arrears  of  land      revenue  and   the  Committee  may  also      disconnect the water supply and sewerage      connections, as it may deem fit."      It would  thus be  clear that  every street  which is a public  street   vests  in   the  Municipal   Committee.  If unauthorised construction  is made  by  encroaching  on  it, after issuing the notice for demolition and service thereof, if the  encroacher does  not  remove  the  same  within  the specified  time,  in  addition  to  laying  prosecution  for contravention of  the provisions  of the  Act, the Municipal Committee has  power to  have the unauthorised encroachments and construction  removed  and  the  to  recover  the  costs thereof from  him. It  is seen that notice was in fact given to the  respondent for removal of the construction. When the husband of  the respondent was examined, he admitted that he constructed the shop after the purchase. Though the District Judge  found   that  it  is  the  private  property  of  the respondent, in  view of  the fact  that it  is on  a  public street, by  operation of  Section 3(21),  even  the  private property which forms part of public street, stands vested in the Municipal  Committee. Thereby,  the Municipal  Committee has necessary  power to  have the  unauthorised construction removed and  encroacher ejected.  If the encroacher does not voluntarily  remove   the  unauthorised   construction,  the Municipal Committee has power to have it removed by exercise of the  power vested  under Section 181(2) of the Act. Since the Committee  has exercised  the statutory power, the award of   damages    is   clearly    illegal,   unwarranted   and unsustainable.      The appeal  is accordingly  allowed. The  judgment  and decree of the appellate court as confirmed by the High Court stands  set  aside  and  that  of  the  trial  court  stands confirmed. But in the circumstances, no order as to costs in this Court and the appellate court.