The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government and directed the Prayagraj civic body to pay 10 lakh rupees in compensation to each petitioner whose house was demolished in 2021.
The demolition took place under the false premise that the plot belonged to the late gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed. According to the petitioners, their houses were razed on March 7, 2021, following a demolition order that was served to them on March 6.
The appellants approached the Supreme Court after the Allahabad High Court had rejected their petition challenging the UP government's action.
What Did The Top Court Say?
Taking into cognisance that the demolition action was carried out in a "high handed" manner, a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said there was "rule of law in the country" and residential structures of citizens couldn't be demolished in such fashion.
Calling out the Prayagraj civic authorities for their "insensitivity," the top court observed, "These cases shock our conscience."
Considering the "inhuman and illegal manner" in which the demolitions were carried out, the apex court also ordered the Uttar Pradesh government was to pay compensation of rupees ten lakh each to all appellants including a lawyer, a professor, and two women whose residential structures, located in a compound in Lukerganj, Prayagraj, were demolished.
"It's an unfortunate state of affairs where there is illegal demolition and persons involved don't have the capacity to construct," the court further observed, as per a report by India Today.
Earlier, the apex court had slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for carrying out the demolition without following due process. The bench criticised the manner in which the houses were demolished -- barely 24 hours after serving notice -- leaving no time to appeal or challenge the executive decision.
