The Supreme Court of India, on Thursday, issued a status quo order on the construction activities under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana on a controversial plot in Lucknow’s Jiamau area, claimed by Abbas Ansari, son of the late Mukhtar Ansari, a former gangster-turned-politician. This land was previously cleared by the Lucknow Development Authority in 2020, removing a bungalow that belonged to the Ansari family to make way for new housing units.
The directive came from a bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh following submissions by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Abbas Ansari. The plea highlighted that the Allahabad High Court had not granted an interim stay despite multiple listings, prompting the apex court’s intervention last year to expedite the hearing.
During the proceedings, Justice Surya Kant expressed concerns about the unpredictability of decisions in certain high courts, specifically pointing out challenges in the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court bench refrained from forming an opinion on the high court’s handling of the matter due to lack of comprehensive details but emphasized the urgency of a judicial review to prevent potential irreversible losses.
Abbas Ansari claims that the land, located at plot No 93 in Village Jiamau, legally belongs to his family, tracing ownership back to a purchase by his grandfather in 2004 and subsequent inheritance transfers. However, a controversial order by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in 2020 declared the plot government property, leading to the eviction of the Ansari family and the initiation of construction by the authorities.
The Supreme Court’s decision to halt construction underscores the complexity of land ownership disputes and the impact of administrative actions on individual rights. The order to maintain the status quo aims to prevent the creation of third-party rights that could complicate the legal proceedings, pending a detailed examination by the Allahabad High Court.
