The Supreme Court of India on September 27, 2026, issued sweeping directives to demolish 16,726 unauthorized structures across Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, and constituted a Judicial Commission to investigate how large-scale illegal residential colonies proliferated with alleged official connivance.
Immediate Sealing and Demolition Orders
A Bench comprising Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan directed the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) and state officials to issue immediate vacation notices, seal the identified 16,726 illegal structures in Zone-A, and demolish them systematically.
Justice Dhulia Commission Appointed
Expressing deep shock over hundreds of illegal residential colonies surfacing in Uldepur on the outskirts of Meerut, the Bench appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia as Chairperson of an independent Judicial Commission.
Key Scope of Inquiry and Observations
- Investigating Official Connivance: The Commission will probe whether the land belongs to the government or private entities, how illegal plot transactions occurred, and why MDA officials remained silent for over five years.
- Accountability for Inaction: The Court warned that officers responsible for delays in demolishing dilapidated illegal structures will be held personally accountable if any untoward safety incidents or loss of life occur.
- Deposit of Remuneration: The State of Uttar Pradesh was directed to deposit ₹35 Lakhs in the Supreme Court Registry as initial remuneration for the Judicial Commission.
The proceedings stem from ongoing Supreme Court monitoring of widespread unauthorized commercial conversions and illegal constructions on residential plots in Shastri Nagar and surrounding areas of Meerut.