The Supreme Court has stayed the proposed amendment to Delhi Master Plan 2021, which seeks to legalise extra construction of both residential and commercial complexes by increasing the floor area ratio (FAR).

The apex court pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not filing an affidavit analysing the environmental impacts of the proposed changes to master plan.

A bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta slammed the Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for not filing affidavits on whether an environment impact assessment was conducted before proposing an amendment to the Master Plan.

“This is contempt… This dadagiri has to stop. You can’t tell this court that you keep passing orders but we will do what we want to,” said the court.

The bench also discharged BJP MLA O P Sharma and municipal councillor Gunjan Gupta of BJP, against whom it had issued show-cause notices for contempt for allegedly obstructing authorities from carrying out the sealing drive in Shahdara zone.

After going through a CD containing a video footage of protest, the court said it appeared that they were not obstructing the authorities.

The court, however, reprimanded Sharma for using derogatory language in the video footage against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, calling it “absolutely unacceptable”.

“You cannot insult the Prime Minister and any chief minister just because they are not from your political party. You must show respect to them. You are destroying the institution.

This is absolutely unacceptable,” it added. The apex court was hearing petitions against the unauthorised use of residential premises for commercial purposes.

The DDA recently proposed to finalise amendments to the Delhi Master Plan 2021 to provide immediate relief to traders.

The proposed amendments include increasing Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of shopping complexes from existing 180 per cent to 300 per cent, regularising agricultural warehouses on 12 metre wide roads, allowing uniform FAR across localities and reducing conversion charges.

The sealing drive was being carried out against business establishments using residential areas for commercial purposes without paying conversion charges.