In Brief
S.N. Bhardwaj, through a public interest petition, challenged the Archaeological Survey of India's alleged failure to protect Tughlakabad Fort, a protected monument of national importance, against illegal encroachment and unauthorised construction. The Supreme Court, over multiple years and orders, affirmed that monument protection is imperative and vacated earlier stay orders preventing action against encroachers. Despite repeated directions to the ASI to conduct surveys and prevent further construction, compliance remained incomplete due to cited operational difficulties. Finding no contempt but reiterating the mandatory nature of protection obligations, the Court remitted the cases to the Delhi High Court for continued monitoring and enforcement of its earlier orders for implementation by authorities."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.