Demolition of buildings in Kochi's CRZ: SC dismisses review plea filed by realtors

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea filed by realtors seeking a review of its May 8 order directing demolition of five apartments constructed in Maradu of Kochi in violation of the Coastal Regulations Zones (CRZ) notifications.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha also rejected the prayer of the builders for hearing on the review plea in the open court.

"Having perused the review petitions and the connected papers with meticulous care, we do not find any justifiable reason to entertain the review petitions. The review petitions are, accordingly, dismissed," the bench said.

On May 8, the apex court had directed that these buildings be removed within a month as they were constructed in the notified CRZ, which was part of the tidally influenced water body in Kerala.

The court had passed the order after taking note of a report by a three-member committee which said that when the buildings were made, the area was already notified as CRZ and construction was prohibited.

Recently, on July 5, a bench headed by Justice Mishra had taken strong exception to the passing of an order by a vacation bench during summer break of the Supreme Court, which had stayed the demolition of these buildings in Kerala for six weeks.

The irked bench had observed that it was "judicial impropriety" on the part of some senior advocates for taking relief from the top court's vacation benches by suppressing the facts of the case.

Terming the practice as "the height of judicial misconduct", the bench had said that senior advocates were "not above the law" and such conduct reflected that "no morality" is left in some of them.

"We are inclined to pass strictures in the entire scenario that has been created in these petitions, but since the counsel has prayed for withdrawal, suffice it to observe that in future such things should not happen in this court," the bench had said in its July 5 order.