The Supreme Court on Thursday extended by two weeks the status quo order on the anti-encroachment drive carried out by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (DNMC) in Jahangirpuri area, which was rocked by communal violence on Hanuman Jayanti last week.
A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai issued notice to the NDMC in the petition filed by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, which contended that buildings of Muslim riots accused are being razed.
Asking the civic body to stop all demolition drives, the Supreme Court said: “We will take a serious view of all demolitions that took place after the Supreme Court decision was communicated to the mayor. Issue notice in all petitions. Status quo to be maintained. To be heard after two weeks.”
At the outset, senior advocates Dushyant Dave and Kapil Sibal alleged that the drive was targeting a specific community, and was carried on the “wishes of the BJP chief”. Dave also said that there were 731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi where 15 lakh people were living, but the authorities were targeting one area and one community.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta had written to the NDMC on Tuesday, urging to bulldoze the properties of those arrested in connection with the violence. A day after, nine bulldozers from the authorities tore down several concrete and temporary structures close to a mosque in Jahangirpuri.
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while rubbishing claims that only one community is being targetted during demolition drives, cited the example of Khargone in Madhya Pradesh. “Allegations that only one community is targeted is incorrect. In MP, which has become topic of all debates, 88 of those affected are Hindus, I’m sorry I’ve to bifurcate, but I’m being compelled to.”
On Wednesday, a top court bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, which ordered maintaining of status quo concerning the demolition of buildings in the forenoon, intervened again during the day after it was apprised that the authorities were not stopping on the ground that no official communication has been received by them.