Unauthorised camping around United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building in Vasant Vihar, by foreign national refugees, has become a regular feature causing
great disturbance to the residents of the colony. A petition was filed by the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association in the Delhi High Court, in 2021, for direction to the law enforcing authorises to remove unauthorised squatting by the foreign nationals. The squatters were removed by the local police in compliance of court orders.
Of late, the refugees have reappeared and are residing in temporary structures in the area around UNHCR. Unable to get the area vacated by VVWA through local effort, VVWA has filed a fresh application in the Delhi High Court for the Clearance of the area under unauthorised occupation by the refugees.
High Court has Issued notice to the Delhi Police to file a status report keeping in mind the previous orders passed by the High Court at least one week before the next date of hearing, ensuring that the status as recorded in the earlier order dated 7 Sep 2021, which specifically notes the submission that the road outside the UNHCR building has been cleared, is maintained.
An extract of the said order is given below: “The present petition was filed by the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association with a grievance that foreign nationals/refugees were gathering outside the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at B block, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi since 16.08.2021, causing great inconvenience to the residents. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that after the filing of the present petition, the road outside the UNHCR building in Vasant Vihar has been cleared and, therefore, the primary grievance of the petitioner stands satisfied. He, therefore, does not press the present petition, but seeks liberty to approach the Court, if the need so arises, in the future.
The petition is dismissed as withdrawn. Needless to state that, in case, the petitioner has any grievance in future it will be open for the petitioner to take legal recourse as permissible in law.” The case has been listed for further hearing on the fresh application filed by VVWAA on 9th Feb 2023.
by Maj Gen (Retd) S P Murgai
