New Delhi, Aug 7 The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Police commissioner to clarify the legal procedure for inspecting premises locked from outside that are suspected of being used for illegal activities in violation of environmental rules.
The green body passed the direction while hearing a matter regarding alleged environmental violations under the Jafrabad police station limits, especially in Arvind Nagar and Ghonda village locality.
In an order dated August 4, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Afroz Ahmad noted that the Jafrabad SHO had filed an affidavit regarding a joint inspection conducted on October 31, 2025, by officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, BSES and police.
The SHO's report said that owners often keep their premises under lock and key to deny access to the inspection team, and in some instances, hostile crowds, including women, gather to act aggressively and use abusive language to hamper the inspection process.
It said that while the inspection team considered "breaking open the locks" to verify suspected illegal activities, they could not do so due to a "lack of specific authorisation or clear directions from the competent authority".
In its order, the bench said, "It is stated by the SHO that in certain cases, the inspection after breaking the locks could not be carried out for want of specific authorisation or clear directions from the competent authority."
"It is also stated that resistance by the occupants had posed a serious challenge in effectively verifying suspected illegal activities."
The bench, however, noted that the counsel for Delhi Police could not point out as to whose authorisation is required to carry out the inspection in the premises wherein the illegal activities (violating environmental norms) are purportedly going on after locking it from outside.
"Hence, we require the commissioner of police, Police Headquarters, New Delhi to file an affidavit clarifying the position as to how the inspection of such premises which are locked outside but alleged to have illegal activities inside can be carried out," the tribunal said.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on October 14.
