New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has issued a notice to the Uttarakhand government and other parties in response to a contempt petition filed over the demolition of a dargah registered under the Waqf Board. The court expressed serious concern over the action taken by the state despite an earlier assurance from the central government regarding the non-enforcement of the controversial Waqf Amendment Act, which is currently under judicial scrutiny, reported the Dawat News.
A bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih heard the plea filed by Safeguard Ahmad, who alleged that the demolition of Hazrat Kamal Shah Dargah in Dehradun on the night of April 25 was carried out without prior notice—violating assurances made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during a Supreme Court hearing on April 17.
The petitioner stated that the dargah, registered in 1982 under Waqf Property No. 55 with the Sunni Central Waqf Board in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, was razed despite being a legally recognized Waqf property. The petition highlighted that the action was reportedly taken based on a minor complaint lodged on the Chief Minister’s portal.
The petitioner also cited a statement by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who announced that the state would investigate all 5,700 registered Waqf properties in Uttarakhand to identify and remove alleged encroachments.
Referring to a Supreme Court judgment from November 2024 in a separate bulldozer-related case, the plea emphasized that any demolition must comply with local municipal laws and should not be conducted without a prior “show cause” notice issued at least 15 days before action.
The court’s notice marks a strong rebuke of the state’s actions, particularly in the context of rising concerns over targeted demolition drives across various states, including Uttar Pradesh, where numerous mosques, madrasas, and religious sites have reportedly been demolished under the pretext of illegal construction.
