Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (November 13) slammed arbitrary bulldozer action often taken by government authorities to demolish houses of convicted criminals or even those of the accused. The top court has now said that a 15-day notice will have to be given to the owner of the property if it is to be demolished for any reason. The notice will have to be sent by registered post and will also be fixed on the outer portion of the structure.
The Supreme Court further said that the demolition notice must contain details about part of building deemed unauthorised by the official and what grounds it has for demolition. The process of demolition will have to be videographed.
The apex court has said that violating the guidelines will invite contempt of court action.
The judgment was delivered by Supreme Court bench comprising justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan.
Extra-Legal Punishment
The Supreme Court was hearing the matter after various petitions were filed asking the top court to look into the practice which the petitioners said amounted to extra-legal punishment.
The petitions said that illegal demolitions carried out by government authorities were setting a dangerous precedent as many such actions were taken following just a suspicion of crime against owner of the property. The petitions also said that such actions were becoming a norm and were setting dangerous precedent.
Officials in several states, especially Uttar Pradesh, have drawn criticism that the demolition drives were carried out in targeted manner and not all of the structures had illegal construction.
