Bahraich violence: Plea in Supreme Court against demolition notices

New Delhi [India], October 20 : A petition has been moved in the Supreme Court (SC) against the demolition notices issued by the Uttar Pradesh authorities to several people, including Abdul Hameed, an accused in the Bahraich violence case, over alleged illegal construction.
The Public Works Department (PWD) issued a demolition notice for Hameed's residence in Bahraich.
Three petitioners have jointly filed the petition through advocate Mrigank Prabhakar, urging the SC to quash the demolition notices dated October 17, 2024, which were pasted on the night of October 18, 2024.
The petitioners also seek interim relief to stay the proposed demolition and maintain the status quo as of the date of the notice's issuance.
The petitioners argue that the proposed demolition is punitive, saying, "The defence of "unauthorized construction" is being as a ruse to carry out punitive demolition and also to illegally overcome the interim protective orders passed by this Court on 17-09-2024."
They further submitted that the proposed demolition action is "punitive" and is ex-facie actuated by "malice" because of the undue haste with which the respondent authority has initiated the proposed action.
"The trigger for the proposed demolition notices is the close proximity of the communal flare-up and violent incident and the impugned notice, based on the perception-of OR the alleged involvement-of the owners/ residents/occupants in that alleged criminal activity," the petitioner said.