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The Delhi High Court has ruled that hospitals and commercial buildings like malls can legally charge parking fees. It dismissed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) claim that such charges are not allowed.
Justice Mini Pushkarna was hearing a case filed by Indraprastha Medical Corporation, which runs Apollo Hospital in Sarita Vihar. She pointed out that this issue had already been settled in a previous case in November 2023, where the court had clearly said that charging for parking is allowed. MCD had argued that parking fees shouldn't be charged because parking areas are not counted in the building's total floor space (called Floor Area Ratio or FAR). But the court said this logic was "flawed." The earlier ruling had explained that Delhi's Master Plan 2021 includes parking as part of city planning rules, and businesses can charge for providing parking. The Supreme Court (SC) had also rejected MCD's appeal in April 2024, making the decision final. Apollo Hospital was represented by senior lawyer Dr. Lalit Bhasin and his team, while MCD's lawyer was Siddharth Gupta. The court noted that lease agreements might need to be amended based on this ruling and allowed Apollo Hospital to request such changes. With this, the court closed the case and related matters. (ANI)
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