No Power with Grampanchayat to Stop Mobile Tower Work After NOC Issuance - Bombay High Court

07 May 2024 8:19 AM

By: Admin

In a significant ruling, the Bombay High Court declared on 20^th July 2023, that a Grampanchayat, after having issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC), has no authority to then pass a resolution instructing the cessation of mobile tower construction.

The case, involving Indus Towers Ltd., Pune (Formerly, Bharti Infratel Ltd., Pune) and the Grampanchayat of Chikhalhol, Tal. Khanapur, Dist. Sangli, revolved around the legality of a resolution that had halted the erection of a mobile tower due to health concerns raised by local villagers.

“The role of the Grampanchayat in the matter of erection of mobile tower in the vicinity of the Grampanchayat... is confined to only issuing of No Objection Certificate in terms of the Government Resolution dated 11^th December 2015,” noted Justices SUNIL B. SHUKRE and RAJESH S. PATIL, stating that once an NOC has been issued, the Grampanchayat “loses control over the subject of erection of mobile tower.”

The court also considered the villagers’ apprehensions about potential harmful effects of the tower’s radiation, but found these to be unfounded, citing a lack of reliable scientific evidence. They quoted a past ruling, “jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India cannot be exercised on the basis of apprehensions, which are not rooted in facts and which are not supported by reliable scientific material.”

Consequently, the court quashed the Grampanchayat’s resolution and directed them not to obstruct the operation of the mobile tower as long as it is in accordance with the law. The ruling has important implications for the telecommunication infrastructure, affirming that after issuing an NOC, Grampanchayats cannot halt the installation of mobile towers based on non-scientific apprehensions.

Date of Decision:20th July, 2023

Indus Towers Ltd., Pune (Formerly, Bharti Infratel Ltd., Pune) vs Grampanchayat,