The Gujarat High Court has cautioned that an official inquiry into a May 30 demolition drive in Surat will be compromised unless top municipal and police administrators are relieved of their duties for the duration of the investigation. The clearance drive in the city’s Nasirnagar neighborhood left approximately 150 people homeless.
Presiding over a petition brought by 26 affected residents, Justice Nikhil Kariel observed that allowing senior figures, including the Surat Municipal Commissioner and the local Deputy Commissioner of Police, to stay in office during the probe would turn the process into a farce. The court emphasized that temporary removal of top authorities is necessary to ensure the inquiry remains impartial and credible.
Responsibility for Displaced Residents
The bench also rejected a rehabilitation strategy presented by the Surat Municipal Corporation, which sought to relocate victims into Economically Weaker Section housing with financial backing from non-governmental organizations. The proposed arrangement relied on external organizations to fund a 20,000 rupee application draft and 5.5 lakh rupees in construction expenses for each displaced family.
Characterizing the May 30 action as on its face illegal, the court stated that municipal and state authorities cannot bypass their direct legal obligations or pass responsibility onto charitable groups when compensating citizens whose homes were unlawfully destroyed.
Scope of the Investigation
The state government previously informed the court that a special committee had been established to evaluate whether the demolition complied with the Gujarat Municipal Corporation Act of 1949. Operating under a two-month deadline, the panel is authorized to investigate senior civic and law enforcement officials present at the scene, as well as involved private actors, and recommend formal disciplinary proceedings.
While the municipal corporation had already suspended five lower-level staff members over misconduct connected to the incident, the High Court noted that accountability must extend to higher-ranking personnel until the inquiry yields conclusions.
Origins of the Demolition
According to municipal affidavits, the dispute involves private land that developers sought to build upon through third parties. A request for a plot validation certificate was rejected on March 12, after which the developer requested a physical demarcation of the street boundary. On May 30, civic staff requested police assistance for the boundary check, during which the residential structures were torn down.
The High Court has asked both the state government and the Surat Municipal Corporation to present updated instructions before the case resumes on August 14.
