The Muslims, Dalits and Tribals in India must have taken a sigh of relief when the Supreme Court of India on September 2 made critical observations against the ‘bulldozer justice’, saying properties can’t be demolished just because they belong to a person accused of a crime. The apex court observed that the property can’t even be demolished if the person had been convicted. A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan was hearing a batch of pleas against demolition action often undertaken by authorities against the houses of those accused of serious crimes. However, the apex court clarified it won’t protect any illegal structure obstructing public roads.
Over the past few years, several state governments have demolished houses and properties belonging to those involved in serious crimes. The Supreme Court asked the authorities how anybody’s house could be demolished only because he is an accused. The court said that it proposes to lay down guidelines on the issue. “Even if he is a convict, still it can’t be done without following the procedure as prescribed by law,” the court said.
The apex court said such demolition can happen only if the structure is illegal. Justice Viswanathan asked why directions cannot be passed to avoid such cases. “First notice, time to answer, time to seek legal remedies, and then demolition,” he said.
As the highest palladium of justice posted the matter for hearing on September 17, we hope final verdict will come with guidelines in this regard.
Arshad Waris
New Delhi
‘Bulldozer Justice’against Muslim Community
The Congress party has expressed concern over the repeated targeting of minorities in BJP-ruled states, saying that it was deeply troubling. Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, party president, strongly condemned the BJP for allegedly using “bulldozing as a tactic to instill fear among citizens”. And Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary said that “Bulldozer Justice is completely unacceptable”, so it must stop. These remarks from the Congress leadership come in the backdrop of reports that the house ofa man, who allegedly indulged in violence in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh during a protest, was demolished.
The Rajya Sabha member and Congress minority department national chairman Imran Pratapgarhi said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are finding excuse to bulldozethe houses of Muslims.The BJP is neck-deep in hatred against Dalits,minorities andtribals.
The house of Haji Shehzad Ali, one of the prime accused in the mob attack on a police station in Madhya Pradesh was razed with bulldozer, at the behest of the chief minister Mohan Yadav. Mr. Pratapgarhi said that Narendra Modi is roaming around the world chanting the slogan, Sab ka Sath, Sabka Vikas but doing nothing to translate it into action. He also said that he will soon approach the Supreme Court on the matter, he wrote on X, with a video of the demolition drive.
Chowdhry Nisar Ahmed
Noorullah pet, Ambur (TN)
High Failure Rate Shocking
The disturbing fact that more than 65 lakh students from across the country did not clear the class 10 and 12 Board Exams last year, reflects poorly on our teaching and academic standards, a full 78 years after Independence (Source: according to Ministry of Education – MoE- officials).
A detailed study is needed to identify the subjects in which a majority of these students are falling behind and make sure that they are provided with the necessary guidance to help them catch up with their counterparts in school. Such corrective steps can be in the form of remedial classes or by instructing teachers to pay individual attention to those who are unable to match the performance of others. We cannot have such a large number of students failing every year.
Sajid Sheikh
Bengaluru, Karnataka