₹40L fine: Def Col RWA may turn to residents for funds

The residents' welfare association (RWA) of Defence Colony may use contributions from residents to raise a ₹40 lakh penalty imposed by the Supreme Court for occupying the Gumti of Shaikh Ali, a Lodhi-era monument, for over six decades.

- Paras Singh

NEW DELHI: While a few appeals were made on a personal level—with no official directive or request—to residents, the RWA clarified that a final call on the payment is yet to be taken and there is no mandatory directive to pay.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued the directive to the RWA in Defence Colony, which had converted the 700-year-old monument into an office space, weeks after the court, on January 21, ordered the RWA to vacate the structure and appointed senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan as court commissioner to ensure the smooth handover of possession to the land and development office (L&DO).