The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma orally admitted before the court, “Yes, (the) distance is a problem, but we don’t have land (in the vicinity of Race Course road).”
Everyone living in the three slum clusters on Race Course Road near the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi will be rehabilitated, the Centre told the Delhi High Court on Tuesday as the court heard a petition challenging the eviction of slum dwellers and demolition of the jhuggi and jhopdi (JJ) clusters.
The Centre, the HC was told, has “taken a conscious decision that there will be no resident deemed to be eligible or not eligible” for rehabilitation, and in fact, “all will be eligible”.
In February, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ (MoHUA) Land and Development Office (L&DO) had issued notices to residents of the three JJ clusters — Bhai Ram Camp, Masjid Camp, and DID Camp — on Race Course Road, situated adjacent to the Delhi Race Club and Jaipur Polo Ground, to vacate the premises. However, a petition was moved the same month by over 300 residents of the Bhai Ram camp in the High Court, seeking quashing of the notice “and/or allotment” of alternative accommodation at a “nearby place”.
On Tuesday, the HC granted the slum dwellers relief from evicting their premises at Bhai Ram camp till the next hearing on March 16.
The slum dwellers of the three slum clusters, according to the authorities, are being rehabilitated nearly 45 km away in the village of Savda Ghevra. Apart from expressing concern over losing their livelihood due to the distance, the residents have complained that basic amenities are also lacking at the site. The petitioners’ counsel on Tuesday also told the High Court that the alternative accommodation is in “extremely poor condition”.
The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma orally admitted before the court, “Yes, (the) distance is a problem, but we don’t have land (in the vicinity of Race Course road).”
In an affidavit filed on Monday, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) had submitted that a total of 555 jhuggi units have been identified at one cluster of Bhai Ram Camp and have been offered flats at Savda Ghevra.
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DUSIB also dismissed the concerns on the inhabitable conditions of the Savda Ghevra flats, submitting that of the 3,560 flats for economically weaker section (EWS), it is “already hosting pre-existing 218 families” and “thus the said housing project is well populated and already operational since long.” It emphasised that the alternative accommodation being provided to the dwellers “is fully habitable and with amenities.”
Listing the multiple amenities available at the EWS housing premises at Savda Ghevra, DUSIB said that it has a sewer line, “temporarily connected with the septic tank” as sewerage treatment plant “is underconstruction”; and that it has a water line and functional underground reservoir, connected with the Delhi Jal Board’s water line, an MCD ‘dhalao ghar’ and “well-developed parks and roads”.
As on date, according to the DUSIB, 113 JJ dwellers of Bhai Ram Camp have accepted the allotment letters, as have 36 such dwellers from the Masjid camp and 27 others from the DID camp.
The Delhi HC granted the petitioners time to respond to DUSIB’s contentions by March 16 when the next hearing is due.
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Allotment letters for Savda Ghevra EWS flats taken by
Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.
Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).
Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.
She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.
With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.
Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.
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