On Monday, the Supreme Court did not pass any interim orders to stop the scheduled demolitions in Batla House, which is in the national capital.
A Bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Satish Chandra Sharma told the residents, who had been served eviction notices with 15 days' time to leave and feared demolition at any moment, that they could approach legal remedies provided under the law.
The Bench, presided over by Justice Karol, ordered that the case be set down for hearing by the regular Bench in July.
The petitioners claimed to be "bonafide residents" and "property owners" of Khasra Nos. 271 and 279 in Batla House. They contended that their houses have been put in the demolition list owing to being allegedly beyond the purview of the PM-UDAY Scheme coverage, even though they possess valid documents of ownership, uninterrupted possession since prior to 2014, and fall under the categorization of the Recognition of Property Rights Act, 2019.
The plea, filed by advocate Adeel Ahmed, contended that conducting a sweeping demolition drive without providing affected residents a proper and meaningful chance to be heard would violate fundamental principles of natural justice and breach constitutional rights.
Identifying the significance of a fair, humane, and legal process prior to any coercive action, the plea underscored that the applicants have peacefully resided in the area for decades, establishing a stable and law-conforming community.
It also mentioned that the 15-day eviction notices were indiscriminately applied to the residents and properties which are not under Khasra No. 271 and not indicated in any official report as excluded from regularisation.
For all their justifiable claims, these residents were not given the chance to argue their case and now are immediately threatened with displacement, the petition filed with the Supreme Court said.
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