HC grants relief, deseals HSVP offices in Gurugram’s Sec 14, 15

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday ordered the desealing of the Land Acquisition Office (LAO) and two estate offices of Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) located in Sector 14 and Sector 34, which had been sealed on Friday following court orders. The court also extended the compliance deadline for paying compensation in a land acquisition case to May 31, 2025. 
A double bench comprising justice Sureshwar Thakur and justice Sudeepti Sharma issued the directive after hearing an appeal by HSVP seeking relief in the matter. “The period for compliance of the order dated 15.04.2024 passed by this Court is extended for another six months, i.e., up to 31.05.2025. Since the period for compliance is extended, the operation of the order dated 29.11.2024 shall remain stayed, and the premises sealed vide the said order be desealed forthwith,” the court said in its order. 
Earlier on Friday, justice Harkesh Manuja had ordered the sealing of the offices while hearing a contempt petition regarding HSVP’s failure to compensate a landowner in Manesar. The petitioners alleged that HSVP paid compensation for 16 kanals and six marlas of land acquired in 2011 but had also taken possession of an additional four kanals and 15 marlas without issuing any government notification or paying compensation. 
Justice Manuja observed that HSVP had used the land for nearly 13 years without compensating the owner and ordered the sealing of the LAO office and estate offices in Sector 14 and Sector 34. 
Meanwhile, a senior HSVP official confirmed that the appeal had been successful. “The court has given relief to the authority and allowed the desealing of three offices. The offices will be desealed today, and normal working will resume from Tuesday,” the official said. 
The sealing caused significant disruptions on Monday. Around 30 employees of the LAO office and staff at the Sector 14 estate office were unable to perform their duties, officials said. Separately, at the Sector 34 estate office, employees reportedly worked outside in a park as entry to their premises was barred, according to a junior engineer who requested anonymity. The closure also inconvenienced residents and allottees visiting the offices for routine work, many of whom had to return without resolving their issues.