Bombay HC stays property demolition of Nagpur violence case accused
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Representational.
Nagpur: Just hours after the demolition of the property of an accused in the Nagpur violence case over alleged illegal construction began here in the morning, the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court intervened, issuing a stay on the demolitions and criticising the administration for its "high-handedness."
On Monday, the two-storey residence of Fahim Khan, an alleged mastermind behind the communal violence in Nagpur on March 17, was flattened by local civic authorities, which claimed that the house was constructed illegally. The operation, which involved bulldozers and a heavy police presence assisted by drones, also saw the removal of an alleged illegally constructed balcony- which is when the court intervened- at the house of another accused, Yusuf Sheikh, in the Mahal area where the riots occurred.
While Khan's house was razed prior to the court's intervention, officials stopped work on the illegal structures at Sheikh's home following the court’s directive.
Both Khan and Sheikh had appealed to the High Court earlier on Monday, requesting an urgent hearing against the demolition orders.
A division bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi questioned why the property owners were not given an opportunity for a hearing before the demolition of the allegedly illegal constructions.
Advocate Ashwin Ingole, representing Khan, stated that the court had ordered a response from governmental and civic authorities, with the next hearing scheduled for April 15.
The bench indicated that if it determined that the demolition was conducted unlawfully, the authorities might be liable for damages, Ingole claimed.
Khan, the leader of the Minority Democratic Party (MDP), is currently in jail and facing charges of sedition in connection with the March 17 riots.
The riots in Nagpur erupted after misinformation circulated about the burning of a 'chadar' featuring religious inscriptions during protests organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra.
PTI