"This Is Lawlessness": Top Court Raps Uttar Pradesh For Illegal Demolition

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said the demolition was carried out without any notice. "It is clear (that) demolition was high-handed and without the authority of law."

Pulling up the Uttar Pradesh government for demolishing homes without due process, the Supreme Court today said homes cannot be razed overnight and families must be given time to vacate.

The bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud was hearing a 2020 suo motu case. The case was based on a letter by Manoj Tibrewal Aakash, whose house was demolished in 2019. The petitioner had said his home was razed without prior notice for alleged encroachment on a highway.

This also comes at a time when a separate bench of the top court is hiring petitions challenging "bulldozer justice" -- a term used to refer to demolishing properties belonging to people accused in criminal cases.