Prayagraj / New Delhi : In a strong rebuke to the Uttar Pradesh administration, the Allahabad High Court has criticised state officials for demolishing a woman’s house in Baghpat district despite a clear stay order from the court. The court observed that it appears as if state officials — particularly from the civil and police administration — take “pride” in violating judicial directions, reported the Verdictum.
The court’s scathing remarks came in response to a petition filed by Mrs. Chhama, who had obtained an interim stay order on May 15, 2025, against any eviction or demolition under Section 67 of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code. Despite this, officials from the revenue and police departments allegedly carried out the demolition the very next day, on May 16.
The bench headed by Justice J. Munir stated, “There seems to be a culture growing among state officials, particularly police and civil servants, of deriving a sense of achievement from violating court orders rather than feeling guilt over such illegalities.”
The bench has now directed the three concerned officials — SDM of Baghpat (Avnish Tripathi), Tehsildar (Abhishek Kumar), and Revenue Inspector (Deepak Sharma) — to submit individual affidavits by July 7, explaining why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them and why they should not be ordered to reconstruct the demolished house at their own cost.
The High Court also sought clarification on why no order had been issued for the restoration of the property and why they shouldn’t be made liable for the total cost of rebuilding. The demolition, according to the plea, was carried out despite the petitioner presenting a physical copy of the stay order to the officials on-site.
The petitioner moved the court under Article 215 of the Constitution, seeking punishment for the deliberate contempt of court. The contempt plea names four officials: SDM Avnish Tripathi, Tehsildar Abhishek Kumar, Revenue Inspector Deepak Sharma, and Lekhpal Mohit Tomar.
This case has once again highlighted the frequent disregard for rule of law and judicial orders by the UP administration, particularly in actions involving bulldozer demolitions — a trend increasingly drawing flak from courts across the country.
