SC to hear petition opposing UP demolitions tomorrow

The Supreme Court will hear a petition asking the court to order the Uttar Pradesh government to follow the rules when conducting further demolitions in the state. The petition also demanded harsh punishment for officials who engaged in illegal demolition.

The petition was filed by the Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in response to the recent demolitions of buildings deemed illegal by the state administration, including the home of Javed Mohammad, a Welfare Party of India leader.

Javed Mohammad’s house was demolished on Sunday by the Prayagraj district development authority, which claimed the building was illegally constructed and that he had failed to appear for hearings following notices issued in May. His lawyers, on the other hand, claimed that the family only received a copy of the notice late Saturday night, the night before the demolition, and that the building was owned by his wife, not him.

A multi-story building allegedly owned by a close aide of one of the key accused in the June 3 Kanpur violence was demolished the day before.

According to the plea, taking such extra-legal measures is clearly a violation of natural justice principles, especially since the court is hearing the current case.

“It is worth noting that in the present case, this Hon’ble Court ordered the stay of demolitions being carried out as a punitive measure in Northwest Delhi under similar circumstances.” Given that the captioned matter is currently before this Hon’ble Court, restoring such measures is even more concerning.

Protesters took to the streets in several areas of the state after two former BJP leaders made controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad. Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party, and another spokesman, Naveen Kumar Jindal, was expelled as a result of their comments.