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The Supreme Court on Monday criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for ‘arbitrary’ demolition of houses in Prayagraj. The Supreme Court said that this action has shocked their conscience. A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuiyan has also expressed displeasure over the demolition of houses with bulldozers within 24 hours of giving notice and not giving time to the victims to appeal.
Such a process cannot be tolerated
The Supreme Court bench said, ‘It shakes our conscience how residential complexes were demolished arbitrarily. The way the whole process was carried out is shocking. Courts cannot tolerate such a process. If we tolerate it in one case, it will continue.’
Permission will be given to rebuild demolished houses
The Supreme Court said that the court will allow the petitioners to rebuild the demolished houses, provided they file an appeal before the appellate authority within the prescribed time. The court said that if their appeal is rejected, the petitioners will have to demolish the houses at their own expense. The matter was adjourned for the petitioners to file an affidavit.
Clarification given in court on behalf of the government
Attorney General R Venkataramani, defending the state’s action, assured to follow adequate ‘due process’ in giving notice. Pointing to large-scale illegal encroachments, he said that it is difficult for the state government to control unauthorized occupation.
The Supreme Court has also criticized earlier
The Supreme Court had earlier criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for demolishing houses in Prayagraj without following due legal process. The court had said that this action gives ‘shocking and wrong signals’. The counsel for the petitioners had said that the state government demolished the houses wrongly thinking that the land belonged to gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed. Atiq Ahmed was killed in 2023.
Allahabad High Court had rejected the petition
The Supreme Court was hearing the petition of lawyer Zulfiqar Haider, Professor Ali Ahmed and others whose houses were demolished. The Allahabad High Court had rejected their petition challenging the demolition of the houses.
