The apex court strongly condemns the use of bulldozers to demolish property without legal justification, calling the practice dangerous
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — For the second time this month, the Supreme Court has lambasted the growing use of bulldozers to demolish the properties of individuals accused of crimes, stating that such actions are a direct violation of the law.
The court made it clear that involvement in a crime does not justify the destruction of one’s property and emphasised that no such provision exists in the country’s legal framework.
On September 2, the apex court issued a stern warning against bulldozer actions. During a separate hearing, the court underlined its growing concern over the misuse of power by local authorities.
In a hearing on Friday, a bench of Justice Rishi Kesh Roy, Justice Sidhanshu Dhulia, and Justice SVN Bhatti stated, “Running a bulldozer on the property of an accused is akin to bulldozing the law of the land. This practice is dangerous and should not be encouraged in a society governed by the rule of law.”
The court was hearing a petition filed against the Kheda Nagar Municipality of Gujarat, which had threatened to demolish the ancestral house of Mian Syed. The notice was issued in connection with a sexual harassment case against Javed Ali’s brother, leading the administration to order the house to be vacated and demolished.
The court, in response, strongly criticised the administration’s actions. “Even if an individual is found guilty, it does not give the government or the police the right to destroy the accused’s property. Nowhere in the law of this country is such an action sanctioned, not even in nations where lawlessness prevails,” the bench declared.
Javed Ali, who approached the Supreme Court after receiving the notice, received a significant reprieve when the court deemed the municipality’s actions as unconstitutional. “This is a gross violation of basic rights. The administration’s notice and the impending demolition are illegal,” the bench remarked.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for next week.
