New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- The Delhi High Court has dismissed a plea filed by the Khan Market Welfare Association challenging the manner in which the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) determines rateable values and assesses property tax, holding that the court cannot, under its writ jurisdiction, take over the statutory or administrative functions of the municipal authority.

A Division Bench of Justice Anil Khetarpal and Justice Shail Jain observed that a writ of mandamus can require a public authority to act according to law, but it does not ordinarily empower the court to itself formulate the methodology by which a statutory authority should exercise its functions.

"The Court cannot, under the guise of issuing a mandamus, substitute its o...