Delhi High Court Slams DDA for Delay in Leasehold to Freehold Property Conversion

The Delhi High Court criticized Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and related bodies for delay in forming a policy for converting properties from leasehold to freehold, noting public frustration. Court demanded a final policy be presented by September 28, stressing past applications must follow existing rules.

The Delhi High Court has reprimanded the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), and the Land & Development Office (L&DO) for their sluggish progress in finalizing a policy that would allow conversions of properties from leasehold to freehold. The court emphasized that citizens should not be subjected to indefinite delays.

A division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Vikas Mahajan expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of advancement since a previous mandate. They noted the absence of clarity in both documentation and conversion charges as revealed in a recent meeting between the involved authorities.

The court provided a final deadline for MoHUA, DDA, and L&DO to present their comprehensive policy before the next hearing scheduled for September 28. Meanwhile, it instructed that any new policies be applied prospectively, ensuring pending applications, for which conversion charges had already been paid, be processed according to the terms prevalent when the applications were made.