New Delhi: The Supreme Court has strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh government for demolishing the houses of a lawyer, a professor, and three others in Prayagraj, stating that such actions violate fundamental rights and legal procedures. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and N. Kotiswar Singh remarked that such demolitions send a “shocking and wrong signal” and undermine the constitutional right to shelter under Article 21.
The case involves Advocate Zulfiqar Haider, Professor Ali Ahmed, and three others, who claimed that their houses were razed without due process. According to the petitioners, they received demolition notices late at night, with the demolitions occurring the next morning, leaving them no opportunity to challenge the decision legally. They argued that they were lawful lessees of the land and had even applied to convert their leasehold rights into freehold property.
Their counsel contended that the state government wrongly linked their property to gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was killed in 2023. The Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the UP government, defended the demolition, claiming that the petitioners had adequate time to respond to the notices. However, Justice Oka raised serious concerns about the manner in which the notices were served, questioning the state’s justifications for the sudden action.
Expressing its dissatisfaction with the state’s disregard for due process, the Supreme Court hinted at ordering the UP government to reconstruct the demolished houses at its own cost. The court reiterated that no authority can act beyond the rule of law, emphasizing the need to uphold fundamental rights.
The case highlights the judiciary’s role in protecting citizens from arbitrary state actions and reaffirms the importance of constitutional safeguards against unjust demolitions. The Supreme Court is set to hear the matter further, with the possibility of directing the government to compensate or rebuild the demolished homes.
