NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will now have to examine the rehabilitation issue, after it was informed about the demolition carried out by authorities of a night shelter located at Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan earlier in the day.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Dipankar Datta, saying that the night shelter, being availed of by over 50 people, has been demolished and that authorities carried out the demolition at 10 a.m.
The bench said if the night shelter has been demolished, then it would have to examine the question of rehabilitation.
Bhushan had mentioned the matter while the bench was in the middle of hearing a case. After the hearing of the case was over, Bhushan said that authorities have come there with bulldozers and the homeless matter is pending before this court, and this issue is about a night shelter for homeless people.
He contended that without providing alternative accommodation, a night shelter is being demolished by the authorities. Bhushan said matter regarding homeless people is scheduled to be taken up by the court on February 22 and his application on the issue pertaining to demolition of night shelter at Sarai Kale Khan may be heard along with it.
The bench told Bhushan it could hear the matter on February 22, and asked him to incorporate the subsequent developments in the matter.
Recently, the Delhi Police had asked the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to shift the Sarai Kale Khan night shelter before the scheduled G20 summit in September, in view of concerns that it is being used by criminals and miscreants. -IANS
