It was only after the auction was over in May 2007 that the hotel developer came to know that the 1,688 square metre land auctioned by the DDA at Vivek Vihar Community Centre here was already encroached on.

Burdened with the unenviable task of vacating them, the developer, Perfect Learning Ltd, approached the Delhi High Court alleging that it had already paid Rs 3.66 crore during the time of the DDA auction.

In the hearing, counsel for Perfect Learning Ltd, S K Aggarwal contended that DDA had replied to requests for an alternative plot with demands for payment of the balance amount of Rs 11 crore.

Giving the DDA 15 days’ time to allot an alternate plot for the developer, Justice Sanjeev Khanna in a recent order directed it to pay eight per cent interest against the Rs 3.66 crore within the next three months.