Delhi HC Asks Civic Bodies to Finalise FOB Plan for Rajputana Rifles Soldiers Using Drain
High Court took suo motu cognisance after reports emerged that soldiers had to walk through a foul-smelling drain to reach their parade ground;
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, 18 June 2025, directed civic authorities to finalise a concrete plan for constructing a Foot Over Bridge (FOB), after it was revealed that Rajputana Rifles personnel are currently forced to walk through a foul‑smelling drain to reach their parade ground.
A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was dealing with a suo moto case that had been initiated following a Hindustan Times report highlighting the plight of nearly 3,000 soldiers from the Rajputana Rifles.
The report revealed that these personnel are compelled to march through a foul-smelling, filthy drain to reach their parade ground due to the absence of a proper bridge.
The High Court has accordingly asked the Public Works Department(PWD), Delhi Cantonment Board and the traffic police to hold a joint meeting to finalise the plan concerning the FOB.
While noting that the construction of the FOB had been approved long ago, the high court directed the PWD to seek assistance from other agencies and instructed the civic authorities to ensure there is no waterlogging.
Earlier, the high court had directed the Cantonment Board to submit a status report concerning the present matter.
The court had said,"This Court has, in this petition, given directions from time to time for cleaning of various drains within Delhi since 2024. This particular story relating to the soldiers who have to march through this drain is indeed an unacceptable situation. The report states that a bridge was requested but has not yet been built”.
On 28th February 2025, the High Court had empowered and directed the Special Task Force (STF) to remove all illegal encroachments and constructions, including a five-storey building, that obstructed the natural flow of the Taimoor drain. Subsequently, on 28th April 2025, the bench fixed the date for the commencement of the demolition drive as 5th May 2025
Case Title: Court on Its Own Motion v. Delhi Cantt