SC refuses to stay demolition of illegal dwellings in Aravallis

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 17

The Supreme Court today refused to stay the demolition of more than 10,000 illegal structures built on forestland in the Aravallis at Lakkarpur Khori village in Faridabad district.

“In our opinion, no indulgence is required to be shown by this Court at this stage,” a Bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said after petitioners’ counsel Aparna Bhat urged the top court to halt the demolition as it would result in displacement of thousands of poor people during the Covid pandemic.

As the state government counsel said the encroachers were pelting stones, the Bench said no order was required and the authorities knew what to do. Bhat said even as the hearing proceeded, forcible eviction was taking place.

“Let them do it,” said the Bench which had, on June 7, ordered the Haryana authorities to evict illegal encroachers and file a compliance report in six weeks.

Responding to Bhat’s request that the affected families should be given temporary shelters, the top court said it was for the state government to look into it.

The affected people had enough opportunity to vacate the forestland after its February 2020 order for their removal, the SC pointed out.

While posting the matter for further hearing on July 27, the Bench made it clear that the pendency of the proceedings before it would not come in the way of removing the encroachers.

This was the second petition on the matter this month. Earlier, holding that land grabbers could not take refuge under the rule of law, the Supreme Court had, on June 7, ordered the Faridabad MC and the police to evict the illegal occupants of government land in six weeks.