The court said: ‘If we find that they are in contempt of our order, not only we will be sending them to jail but we will ask them to restore all this’
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Taking strong notice of the demolition of Muslim religious and residential structures in the Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, the Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the state government on a contempt petition before it
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan was hearing a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings for alleged violation of the apex court’s September 17 order which had said that there shall be no demolition of properties including of those accused of crimes across the country without its permission.
The petition claims that despite a previous court order, which stayed demolitions without explicit permission, the authorities went ahead with demolishing several sites, including mosques and dargahs, without prior notice or a hearing.
Representatives for the Patni Muslim community, who filed the petition, argued that the demolitions violated the Supreme Court’s orders and targeted centuries-old structures.
Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for petitioner Summast Patni Muslim Jamat, said that despite the top court’s order, the authorities in Gujarat demolished the structures.
The State of Gujarat, however, defended the actions, claiming that the properties were built on public land and abutted a waterbody, which is an exception to the court’s demolition freeze.
During the hearing on Friday, the bench observed, “If we find that they are in contempt of our order, not only we will be sending them to jail but we will ask them to restore all this.”
However, the court declined to issue an immediate order to halt further demolitions but indicated that if the authorities are found in contempt, they will face legal consequences, including restoring the demolished structures.
The case has been scheduled for further hearings on October 16.
