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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday received assurance from the Uttar Pradesh government that no demolition action will be taken against buildings belonging to individuals allegedly involved in the Bahraich violence on October 13 until tomorrow.
This comes in the wake of communal clashes that occurred during the Durga idol immersion procession, resulting in the death of Ram Gopal Mishra (22) and heightened tensions in the area.
This comes after the state’s Public Works Department (PWD) issued a demolition notice on October 18 for the residence of Abdul Hameed, one of the accused in the violence, citing illegal construction on his property. Similar orders were subsequently issued against other individuals allegedly involved in the Bahraich incident.
In response, three petitioners, including Hameed, filed a petition with the Supreme Court through their advocate Mrigank Prabhakar, challenging the demolition notices. They argued that the action was not about unauthorized construction but rather “a punitive measure disguised as a legal step.”
The petitioners claimed, “The defence of “unauthorized construction” is being used as a ruse to carry out punitive demolition and also to illegally overcome the interim protective orders passed by this Court on 17-09-2024.”
The petitioners further alleged that the swift initiation of the demolition process reflected malice and was directly linked to the communal violence. They said in their plea, “The trigger for the proposed demolition notices is the close proximity of the communal flare-up and violent incident and the impugned notice, based on the perception of OR the alleged involvement of the owners/ residents/occupants in that alleged criminal activity.”
The Supreme Court has not yet made a ruling on the petition. SC will hear on Wednesday a plea filed by three accused in the Bahraich communal violence incident against demolition notices issued by the Uttar Pradesh government.