The Supreme Court, hearing a petition against the Delhi civic body's demolition of buildings in New Delhi's Jahangirpuri, directed that status quo be maintained and listed the matter for further hearing after two weeks.
Arguing against the demolition on the behalf of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, advocate Kapil Sibal said that such demolitions were happening across India, and that one community was being targeted. "Muslims were targeted, and the homes of people who were not even in the area on the day of the incident [the riots] were demolished," he said. Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing on behalf of petitioners from Jahangirpuri, said the matter raised far-reaching questions of Constitutional and national importance. He said that this wasn’t an issue confined to Jahangirpuri, and there will be no rule of law left if it is allowed to continue.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, however, claimed that the allegation that one community is targeted is incorrect. "In Khargaon, 88 affected parties are Hindus," he said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday had stalled an anti-encroachment drive by authorities in the violence-hit Jahangirpuri after taking note of a plea of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind that buildings of Muslim riots accused are being razed. A bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, which ordered maintaining of status quo concerning the demolition of buildings in the forenoon, intervened again during the day after it was apprised that the authorities were not stopping on the ground that no official communication has been received by them.
Bulldozers had torn down several concrete and temporary structures close to a mosque in Jahangirpuri as part of an anti-encroachment drive, days after the northwest Delhi neighbourhood was rocked by communal violence. The Supreme Court had to intervene twice to stop the drive after it took cognisance of a petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind against the demolition.
The anti-encroachment drive continued for one-and-a-half hours even after the Supreme Court directed authorities to stop it. The drive continued because of the absence of a written order from the Supreme Court. It was stopped as soon as the order was received, a civic official told news agency PTI.
Jahangirpuri witnessed violent clashes, including stone pelting, arson and firing, between two communities during a Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday. Eight police personnel and a local resident were injured in the clashes.
