The Supreme Court has resumed hearing on the Delhi MCD’s bulldozer demolition in Jahangirpur case after ordering a stay on its demolition drive and maintenance of the status- quo. It was reported yesterday that despite the court order halting the drive at 10.45 AM, demolitions continued for at least another hour until 12 PM. Media reports showed people whose shops, carts, and kiosks were destroyed returning to pick up the remains, with some even saying that their businesses were legally backed with papers.
A Bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and BR Gavai, with senior advocates Dushyant Dave and Kapil Sibal appearing for the petitioners and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing for the government. While the SG said that the “allegation” that the inority community (Muslims) were being targeted, Kapil Sibal said that the demolition drive was meant to “instill fear in people’s minds” and that ‘encroachers’ were being associated with Muslims only.
Advocate Dushyant Dave had said prior to this that the North Delhi covoc body was only targeting the ‘poor’: “You have destroyed homes, who should be held accountable? They are poor people! Come to any colony in South Delhi including golf links,every second house has unauthorised construction. You don’t want to destroy that.”
The petitioner also said that the civic body had treated the Delhi BJP's wishes as a "command". The BJP's state unit chief had written to the North MCD urging it to conduct bulldozer demolition drives against properties of 'encroachers' who were arrested or accused of rioting during 'communal clashes' on Hanuman Jayanti on Sunday.
The Supreme Court also took a “serious view” of the fact that demolitions continued after its stay order. The Bench said “We will take a serious view of all demolitions that took place after the Supreme Court decision was communicated to the mayor. Issue notice in all petitions. Status quo to be maintained. To be heard after two weeks.”
One man named Daleep Kumar Saxena turned up at the hearing today, as per media reports, saying that he had suffered a loss of ₹7 lakh when his fruit-juice stall was demolished by authorities despite being legal: “I have an NOC that my shop is authorised. The SC has put a stay, but I have already suffered a loss. When my shop was being demolished, police did not allow me to come”. He was taken away by police after this.
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