Can’t defy court orders: CM amid slum demolition row

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday defended recent slum demolitions across the city, asserting that authorities were only complying with court-mandated orders and that displaced residents had been provided with alternative housing.

Her remarks come in the wake of mounting criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), particularly over the demolition of the Madrasi Camp slum near the Barapullah drain in south Delhi. Similar drives have been reported in other parts of the Capital.

Speaking at an event to mark the construction of a Jan Sewa camp in the Haiderpur slum cluster, Gupta said, “In the past few days, demolition actions, including at Madrasi Camp, were carried out following court orders. The court had directed the removal of encroachments along the Barapullah drain—not once, but almost four times.”

She said the encroachments had narrowed the drain’s width, leading to waterlogging in surrounding areas and hampering desilting operations. “Neither the government nor the administration can defy court orders. The Madrasi Camp was set up along the Barapullah drain, and the court had ordered its removal so that cleaning machinery could be deployed. Houses have been allotted to the residents,” she added.

The AAP, however, was quick to counter Gupta’s remarks. In a post on X, former minister Atishi said the BJP’s poll promise of ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahi Makaan’ (a house at the slum’s original location) now rings hollow.

“Rekha ji, did the court also say BJP should not fulfil its ‘Jahan Jhuggi, Wahi Makaan’ promise? If demolitions were necessary, why weren’t people rehabilitated nearby? Most residents of Madrasi Camp got no housing. Those who did were sent 40 km away to Narela—where there are no jobs, roads, schools or hospitals,” Atishi wrote.