Supreme Court has asked the UP government to follow the process of law before demolishing illegal structures after Jamiat-Ulama-Hind complains that the chief minister has backed the policy to illegally retaliate with bulldozes on properties of minority community members booked in case of rioting, stone pelting and goondaism.
The vacation bench of AS Bopanna and Vikram Nath told the Yogi Adiyanath government that no (future) demolition will take place without following the process of law. The court must come to the rescue of citizens as ultimately the rule of law must prevail, the bench said. The drive against illegal structures and encroachments must not appear as targeting one community, the bench said.
CU Singh, senior advocate for petitioners, said that many of these buildings demolished were the homes of family members whose names appear in the FIR. He also submitted that “retaliatory statements were made by high-functionaries of the state government against stone pelters and rioters.”
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta asked how Jamiat would know the legal status of the constructions. “Only an affected party can tell the court whether construction of his house was legal, whether it was demolished without following due process of law, whether he was involved in stone-pelting, rioting or goondaism, and whether the government targeted him just because he belonged to a particular community.”
