The Supreme Court has ordered the status quo on the demolition drive that is currently underway in the riot-hit Jahangirpuri area of north Delhi. The matter will be heard in the court tomorrow.
Senior Advocate Dushyant Dave said before CJI NV Ramana, unconstitutional, unauthorised demolition is taking place in Jahangirpuri where riots took place. No notice was served, so that reply is served in a matter of 10 days. The CJI said it will be listed tomorrow, as reported by Bar and Bench.
A petition was filed by the Jamiat Ulama-I Hind in the Supreme Court to stop demolition in the area. Petitioners wanted to compel the Centre and State governments to not demolish residential accommodation or commercial properties as a punitive measure, according to Bar and Bench.
They also urged that no lasting action should be taken against any accused in criminal proceedings and that police personnel should be provided with special training to handle riots and such situations.
The petition cited incidents of property demolition as a punitive measure against people guilty of acts like rioting by the Madhya Pradesh administration. Such measures by the governments undermine the criminal justice system of our country, including the important role of the courts. It stated that the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of the State made utterances that supported these acts and threatened the minority groups with destruction of their homes and commercial properties in case of riots. The petition stated that if Muslims carry out such attacks, they should not expect justice.
After the Supreme Court announced a status quo on the demolition drives, a special commissioner of police, Dependra Pathak, said that civic agencies should take a call on the matter. Pathak said, Let the civic agency make a decision. We're here to provide support and protection to the civic agency.