The Supreme Court of India on Thursday, September 12, once again criticised the concept of “bulldozer justice” in the country, observing that such demolition threats are inconceivable in a country where the law is supreme.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti said the court cannot be oblivious to actions that may be seen as “running a bulldozer over the laws of the land”.
The court made strong observations while hearing a case related to the attempted demolition of an ancestral house in Gujarat’s Kheda district because of the alleged involvement of a family member in a criminal incident.
The petitioner, Javedali Mahebubmiya Saiyed, has claimed that the Kathlal Nagar Palika had issued a notice of demolition on September 6 — four days after a first information report (FIR) was lodged against his brother on charges of sexual harassment and assault.
In his petition, Saiyed contended that the demolition was intended to punish the family for criminal charges slapped on one member of the family.
During Thursday’s hearing, the Supreme Court said that alleged involvement in a crime is not grounds for demolishing properties.