In a stern rebuke to the Uttar Pradesh government, the Supreme Court termed the 2021 demolition drive in Ambedkar Nagar as “inhuman and illegal.” The justices focused particularly on a distressing viral video that captured an eight-year-old girl desperately clutching her books while running from a bulldozer that was demolishing shanties.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, part of the bench with Justice AS Oka, remarked during the hearing, “There’s a video where small huts are being demolished by a bulldozer, and a small girl is running away with her books. It has shocked everybody.” This video has been pivotal in highlighting the traumatic impact of the demolitions on local residents.
The bench harshly criticized the demolition methods used by the Prayagraj civic authorities, which initially claimed that the cleared plot belonged to the late gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed. It was revealed during the proceedings that the demolitions affected several lawful homeowners, including a lawyer and a professor, leading to the court’s decision to award Rs 10 lakh compensation to each affected homeowner who petitioned.
The video in question became a focal point of political critique as well, with Uttar Pradesh Congress and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sharing the video on social media. Yadav criticized the state administration’s actions in his post, highlighting the contradiction in the BJP’s slogans about saving and educating daughters while a girl was forced to flee to save her books during the demolition.
In response to the viral backlash, the Ambedkar Nagar Police justified the drive as a necessary action to clear encroachments, following an order from the Jalalpur tehsildar. They claimed compliance with the revenue court’s directive to reclaim government land, emphasizing that prior notices had been served.
However, the Supreme Court found the state’s justification lacking, especially concerning the procedural aspects of the notices served before the demolition. “The notice issued on December 18, 2020, was merely a show cause notice, yet the counter affidavit falsely claims that the addressees were required to be present at 11 AM the same day,” the court noted, pointing out the insufficiency of the notice period.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that the demolitions not only violated the fundamental right to shelter but were also executed unlawfully and without due process. The court’s ruling emphasized the importance of adhering to the rule of law and providing a reasonable opportunity for affected parties to respond. The bench directed the Prayagraj Development Authority to compensate each affected party with Rs 10 lakh within six weeks.
