New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while hearing a contempt petition filed by 47 residents of Assam today, has directed the Assam government to maintain status quo on Assam’s Sonapur demolition drive and also issued notice to the concerned authorities in this regard.
The order of the Supreme Court comes after 47 residents of the Sonapur area of Assam filed a contempt petition alleging violation of the top court’s interim order dated September 17 putting a ban on the demolition practice across the country without prior permission till 1 October.
Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi appeared for the petitioners in the matter. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan issued notice to the Assam Government and others on the petition seeking contempt proceedings against the local authorities for violating the top court’s earlier order. “Issue notice. In the meantime, parties to maintain the status quo,” the top court said.
In the plea filed through advocate Adeel Ahmed, the petitioners sought to initiate contempt proceedings against the alleged contemnors for committing gross deliberate and wilful contempt of the top court for deliberate and wilful violation of the top court’s earlier order.
On September 17, the top court, in an interim measure, ordered that till the next date of hearing, it is directed that there shall be no demolition anywhere across the country without seeking permission of this Court. The top court also clarified that the order would not be applicable if there is an unauthorised structure in any public place, such as a road, street, footpath, abutting railway line, or any river body or water bodies, and also to cases where there is an order for demolition made by a court of law.
“However, here in the present case, the respondent-authorities have not followed the order passed by the court for event of eviction and have flagged or put up red sticker on the walls of the petitioners without sending any kind of notice or letter stating issue of eviction or demolition,” the petitioner said.
