In a major development Wednesday, Supreme Court of India has put on hold the demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area and ordered to maintain status quo

New Delhi: In a major development Wednesday, Supreme Court of India has put on hold the demolition drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, widely believed as BJP’s bulldozer politics, and ordered to maintain status quo.

The SC stay on demolition drive came during the hearing on Jamiat Ulama e Hind petition. The Jamiat filed petition after demolition of properties belonging to Muslims following riots in few states.

While ordering to maintain status quo, the apex court deferred the hearing on the Jamiat petition till Thursday.

The petitioners’ lawyer has sent a legal notice to the civic body, police and Delhi Chief Secretary regarding the Supreme Court’s order to halt the demolition in Jahangirpuri. The notice asks the authorities to comply with the court order.

North Delhi Civic Body officials however continued the demolition drive underway in Jahangirpuri since today morning even after SC stay. They stopped only after demolishing a number of properties, and about one and half hour after the SC order.

Eyewitnesses said a two-storey building was demolished even after the SC order, and the owner pleading with the MCD officials saying he has all the documents to prove the construction is legal and not encroachment.

Earlier, many shops were demolished during the “anti-encroachment drive” in the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital Wednesday morning.

The area on April 16 bore witness to violent communal clashes that erupted between two groups of people, belonging to different communities, during a Shobha Yatra procession on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti

The roads were excessively barricaded and manned by the police personnel along with the paramilitary forces. Situation was tense in the area.

To efficiently secure the area in case of any emergency, the police have divided it into five sectors — 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Police personnel in every sector were being led by Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs).

Drones were also being used for surveillance.

Earlier, Special Commissioner Police Dependra Pathak while interacting with media said that NDMC will decide what has to be removed and the police will only provide protection.

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