National South Connect

โ€œWill Take Serious View,โ€ Warns Supreme Court On Jahangirpuri Demolition, Continues Stay For Two More Weeks

New Delhi: After demolition in Delhiโ€™s Jahangirpuri was halted, Supreme Court has said today that, โ€œit will take serious view of all demolition after our decision.โ€

A day after bulldozers were sent to Delhiโ€™s Jahangirpuri Wednesday, where communal violence had erupted on Saturday, the Supreme Court said it would take a โ€œserious viewโ€ of demolitions that took place after its order pausing them. There will be no demolitions in Jahangirpuri until further orders, the court said, issuing notice to the civic body.

โ€œWe will take a serious view of all demolitions that took place after the Supreme Court decision was communicated to the Mayor,โ€ the Supreme Court said, adding that it would take up the case after two weeks.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court was told that a โ€œparticular section of society is being targetedโ€.

Senior lawyer Dushyant Dave, representing the Jahangirpuri petitioners, argued that after a complaint by the Delhi BJP chief to the Mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, an overnight decision was taken to remove encroachments from the violence-hit area and the drive was launched without notice.

The civic body took the BJP leaderโ€™s wish โ€œas their commandโ€, the lawyer charged.

Earlier, a petition was been filed in the Supreme Court to stop demolition in Jahangirpuri. Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave said, โ€œCompletely unauthorised unconstitutional demolition ordered in Jahangirpuri area.โ€

โ€œSomething serious requires your immediate intervention. This is about a completely unconstitutional and illegal demolition which has been ordered in Jahangirpuri area, where riots took place last week. No notice has been served. There is a provision for appeal under the Municiapl Corporation Act. We have filed a provisional application(before SC). It was supposed to start at 2PM but they started the demolition today morning at 9 AM knowing that we will mentionโ€, Dave submitted.

This was an โ€œextraordinarily important issueโ€ for the country, Mr Dave said, alleging that these demolition drives were targeting one community after communal clashes.

The judges asked: โ€œIt only pertains to an area. What national importance?โ€

Mr Dave replied: โ€œItโ€™s in every riot-affected area. Nothing like this happened in 1984 or 2002. Why suddenly? Delhi has an Act on encroachments. A particular section of the society is being targeted. This is the warning that our constitutional framers gave us.โ€

He accused the civic agency of targeting the poor and helpless without warning. โ€œReasonable opportunity is to be given. You have destroyed homes now. Who is responsible? You will not touch Sainik Farms and South Delhi where every other home would be unauthorised but you will come to demolish homes of poor people,โ€ Mr Dave said.

โ€œThere are demolitions across India. Muslims are being targeted. Especially during Ram Navami days these things are happening. Then houses of only one community are demolished,โ€ senior lawyer Kapil Sibal said, representing the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.

โ€œRemarks have been made by a Minister in Madhya Pradesh that if Muslims carry out such attacks, then they should not expect justice. People who were not even in the area on day of incidence to their house was demolished,โ€ Mr Sibal said, which was a reference to the demolitions in Khargone, where clashes erupted during a Ram Navami procession

The judges also questioned whether if o Hindu properties were demolished at Jahangirpuri on Wednesday.

โ€œEncroachments are not limited to one community. You cannot connect it to just one community. This is not a forum for politics. We want your lordship to tell the world that rule of law prevails in this country. We want stay on demolitions,โ€ Mr Sibal said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, speaking on behalf of the civic authorities, said yesterdayโ€™s drive was not the first in Jahangirpuri this year.

โ€œAs far as Jahangirpuri is concerned, the drive to remove what was on footpaths has been done several times since January. 19 April was the fifth drive this year,โ€ he said.

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