India News | Demolition Case: SC Refuses to Hear Contempt Plea Against Maharashtra Authorities
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a plea which claimed Maharashtra authorities flouted the top court's verdict on the demolition of properties.
New Delhi, Feb 20 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a plea which claimed Maharashtra authorities flouted the top court's verdict on the demolition of properties.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said the petitioner could move the high court with his grievance.
"Why don't you go to the high court? We can't monitor everything here," Justice Gavai told the petitioner's counsel.
The petitioner sought initiation of contempt proceedings against the authorities concerned claiming they had violated the top court's directions in its November 13, 2024 judgement.
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The top court verdict laid down pan-India guidelines and barred demolition of properties without a prior showcause notice and 15 days' time to the aggrieved party to respond.
When the bench asked the petitioner's counsel to show it the sanction plan, he said he would have to seek instructions.
"We are not inclined to entertain the present petition. If the petitioner is aggrieved, he can very well approach the jurisdictional high court," the bench said.
"Had you shown us the sanction plan, we would have entertained," said Justice Gavai.
The petitioner's counsel said in a batch of pleas over the demolition of properties happening a few kilometers away from the petitioner's property, the high court had taken a view that the structures were completely illegal.
He said the petitioner was the owner of the land in question and had installed a tin shed there.
The counsel alleged that only a day's notice was given to the petitioner by the authorities.
"Our order (of November 2024) also says that our judgement would not be applicable if the structures are on public roads," the bench observed.
The apex court in its November 2024 verdict said that the directions wouldn't apply to unauthorised structures in a public spaces such as roads, streets, footpaths, abutting railway lines or a river or water bodies apart from cases where there was a court order for demolition.
"No demolition should be carried out without a prior showcause notice returnable either in accordance with the time provided by the local municipal laws or within 15 days time from the date of service of such notice, whichever is later," the top court verdict said.
The judgment came on petitions asking for guidelines on demolition of properties.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)