Following the demolition of nine religious buildings close to the Somnath Temple, the Gujarat government came under fire from the Supreme Court on Friday. The court has issued a warning, stating that it would require the authorities to restore the destroyed structures if it found the authorities in contempt of its order prohibiting bulldozer action until October 1.
“If we find that they are in contempt of our order, not only we will be sending them to jail but we will ask them to restore all this,” the bench said.
On September 17, the SC said that bulldozers were being used as a punitive tool and were against the ethos of the Constitution and hence needed to be brought under the ambit of “judicial oversight”. The bench clarified that its order would not prevent authorities from acting against encroachments on roads and public land, allowing for the demolition of structures – religious or otherwise – without prior notice.
Earlier, the Gir Somnath district administration had conducted an anti-encroachment drive behind the Somnath Temple, demolishing nine religious structures belonging to a minority community.
