HC sees red over house demolition in Baghpat despite stay order
Coming down heavily on the collector, SDM and tehsildar of Baghpat district for allegedly demolishing a woman's house in violation of its interim stay order, the Allahabad high court remarked that executive officers in the state seem to derive a 'sense of achievement' from flouting judicial directions. The high court came down heavily on the collector, SDM, and tehsildar. (For representation)
The court directed all three officials to file personal affidavits by July 7, 2025, explaining why the building was demolished in violation of its order.
Earlier, the petitioner, Chhama, was granted an interim injunction from the high court on May 15, 2025, wherein eviction and demolition proceedings initiated against her under Section 67 of the UP-Revenue Code were stayed.
In its order, the court had specifically directed that 'constructions of the petitioner shall not be demolished' and it also restrained any recovery in pursuance of the demolition order passed on July 5, 2024.
However, on May 16, 2025, a team of revenue officials, allegedly led by the SDM and tehsildar and assisted by the police, proceeded to raze her house despite being shown a physical copy of the court's order passed a day before.
The petitioner then moved a contempt application against Avnish Tripathi, the sub-divisional magistrate of Sadar tehsil in Baghpat; Abhishek Kumar, tehsildar; Deepak Sharma, revenue inspector; and Mohit Tomar, lekhpal, for 'wilfully disobeying' the order of the high court.
The application also contained photographs which, the court noted, showed that the officers were 'reading the order of the High Court while the demolition was in progress' and yet chose to proceed.
Thus, observing that 'any action done, whatever be its nature, in violation of a judicial order, is a nullity', the bench observed on May 29 that prima facie the demolition had been carried out in violation of the high court's interim order.
Issuing notices to the officials concerned, the bench called for their responses and posted the matter for the next hearing on July 7.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Bahraich mazar demolition: HC seeks state's response on contempt plea
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has sought the state government's response on a contempt petition alleging that the Uttar Pradesh government violated an earlier assurance given to the court that no coercive action would be taken against the Dargah Hazrat Sayyed Mohammad Hashim Shah (also known as Lakkad Shah Mazar) situated in Bahraich district. On June 10, UP govt had informed the high court that it had stopped the demolition drive at Lakkad Shah and three other mazars situated in the Murtiha Range forest of Katarniaghat Wildlife division. (For Representation) Justice Brij Raj Singh on June 25 directed the state counsel to seek instructions in light of the allegations made in the contempt plea directing to list the matter as fresh on July 3, 2025. 'Learned counsel for the applicant will serve a copy of the contempt application to the learned Standing Counsel today, who is directed to seek instructions in the matter as there is allegation that there is violation of the undertaking given by the learned Additional Chief Standing Counsel in the order dated 10.06.2025 passed in Writ-C No.5870 of 2025,' the court ordered. The contempt plea moved by the committee of management Dargah claimed that despite the state's categorical submission before the court on June 10, 2025, that the demolition had been stopped and no coercive steps would be taken for the next four weeks, the structure was fully razed on June 13. Earlier, on June 10, the UP government had informed the high court that it had stopped the demolition drive at Lakkad Shah and three other mazars situated in the Murtiha Range forest of Katarniaghat Wildlife division in Bahraich. The state had also assured the court that no further demolition or coercive action would be taken for a period of four weeks. This assurance was recorded by a division bench of Justice Saurabh Lavania and Justice Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi, which was hearing a petition filed by the managing committee of Waqf No. 108, which oversees the dargah where Urs has reportedly been celebrated since the 16th century. The committee had moved the HC after the forest department initiated the demolition of these mazars, citing encroachment on protected forest land under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. In the contempt plea, the waqf committee has alleged that on June 13, just 3 days after the state's assurance, the police personnel took the caretakers of the mazar and other people into custody and dropped them nearly a kilometre away from the site. The plea further alleges that demolition at the site resumed soon thereafter and that the entire structure was razed and now only the graves are intact. The plea also accuses the authorities of wilful and deliberate breach of the undertaking and flouting the court's direction of maintaining the status quo at the site.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Soiled clothes, tied hands, inmates locked in rooms: Shocker at Noida old-age home
Noida: Clothes stained with excreta, soiled bedspreads, several inmates with hands or feet tied, and some without clothes. At least 40 men and women – most in their 70s and 80s, left there by their families – have been living in inhuman conditions in the squalid interiors of a privately run old-age home, a surprise inspection on Thursday night by the UP women's commission found. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Running out of Sector 55 since 1989, Anand Niketan Vridh Sewa Ashram is among the city's oldest facilities for the elderly and is operated by a trust. Officials said the home did not have qualified care staff, nor any facilities for timely medical aid, and was run by a handful of caretakers. Women's commission member Meenakshi Bharala told TOI on Friday she decided to visit the old age home after a video of a woman sitting on the floor of the old age home with her hands tied was brought to her notice. "The video was also sent to mahila ayog in Lucknow," said Bharala, who was accompanied by ADCP Manisha and officers from the social welfare and probation departments during the inspection. "When we reached, we asked about the woman in the video and were directed to her room. She was lying on a bed that had just a bare mattress. She was clad in dirty clothes and was reeking. She could not even speak to us. The people there told us they had done so because the woman misbehaved," Bharala said. Other inmates also said they were tied up and kept confined to rooms, she added. A man found sitting in just his shorts was asked where his clothes were. He told the inspection team that he was never given any. The woman in the video is a 69-year-old originally from Kerala. She apparently used to be a Reiki healer. TOI is withholding her name to protect her privacy. A prescription with her suggested dated June 4, 2025 showed she was consulting a doctor at a private hospital in Noida. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now No one from her family had turned up at the centre on Friday. She was among three inmates at Anand Niketan who were shifted to a govt shelter in Dankaur. "We checked the premises and found how they were mistreated, mostly kept in dirty rooms and unsanitary conditions with just a mattress. The staff there told us the inmates would hit them and throw soiled clothes at them. But when we interacted with one of the elderly women, she identified herself as a doctor and spoke to us nicely," Bharala said. "We were told the old age home receives food and other items in the form of donations, but rather than sharing it with residents, the staff sell the goods. Quality of food is not good," she added. Bharala also said when they enquired if a doctor was available at the facility, the staff called a nurse, who is a 12th pass. "We asked for individual files of residents, but they had no medical records or information about anyone. It was decided that the social welfare team would relocate people who are in serious condition. The ones who are stable will be moved out after three-four days," Bharala said, adding that during their interaction with the inmates, no one had displayed any violent tendencies, as the Anand Niketan staff claimed. The women's commission, she added, would recommend sealing the facility. Officials said the staff could not produce registration papers for the facility, nor a fire clearance. Bharala said Noida's chief medical officer did not have any knowledge of the facility because it was not a registered one. According to its website, Anand Niketan Vridh Sewa Ashram is run by Jan Kalyan Trust and is a 60-room facility that runs from C block in Sector 55 on land allotted by Noida Authority. The home initially operated from Sector 12. The foundation stone for the Sector 55 building, it says, was laid on July 11, 1993 by social worker and Rajya Sabha member Nirmala Deshpande, while the first phase of the building was inaugurated on Dec 10, 1994 by then social welfare minister Sitaram Kesri. The home's pitiable condition is not evident from outside – several of its rooms are airconditioned, the building's façade and walls are evenly painted, and has a roof overhang to shield it from the sun. Officials said the trust takes a donation of Rs 2.5 lakh, Rs 20,000 security and a monthly fee of Rs10,000-12,000 from the families of each inmate. Trust members, however, said they don't take any donations. Bharala said most of the inmates had agreed to be shifted out of Anand Niketan, barring "one or two women who said they have worked a lot and cannot work anymore", and lashed out at "their children" for leaving the parents to fend for themselves in this condition. "This place was going to be sealed once earlier, but there are many connected people behind it, so it was saved," she said. An elderly man who claimed to be living in Anand Niketan for two years told TOI he did not think the food or the facility were bad, but identified the management as "the problem". "They don't listen to anybody. I give Rs 12,000 to live here. People who give donations when they arrive pay less. Otherwise, the dorms are for Rs 6,000 and people in single rooms pay Rs 2lakh-2.5 lakh. The management randomly makes rules and tells us to follow them. They simply keep imposing things on us," he said. Social welfare officer Nitya Dwivedi said the team had conducted a thorough check of the facility. "We will issue a notice. We checked the food arrangements and the rooms. Some people were locked up in bad condition. They did not have clothes. There was no light or water. One woman seemed intoxicated. she wasn't able to speak," she said. Speaking to TOI, one of the trustees said the old age home was being portrayed differently from reality. "They have shifted the three inmates from here without documentation. They are not even seeking permission from their guardians. The man seen without clothes feels hot and removes them himself. The woman whose hands were tied is suffering from an illness. She came to Anand Niketan just 15-20 days ago. The guardians who came to drop her told us about her condition and cautioned us that she might lock herself inside her room if left alone. The caretaker was wrong to tie up her hands. There are 40 people in Anand Niketan, and you can speak to everyone individually; they will tell you how happy they are," the trustee said.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Previous UP govts were only busy fuelling caste conflicts: Adityanath
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday alleged that the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh were too busy fueling caste-based conflicts, which left the youth of the state struggling with an identity crisis. Launching initiatives to promote entrepreneurship during a ceremony in Lucknow to mark World MSME Day, the CM said the past governments not only encouraged caste-based divisions in society but also ignored entrepreneurs. Adityanath inaugurated the 'Youth Adda' platform, launched the CM Yuva mobile app, and unveiled ODOP Common Facility Centre (CFC) projects worth Rs 18 crore for Bareilly and Moradabad. Addressing the gathering, he said before 2017, Uttar Pradesh was known for riots, mafia gangs and was one of the most unsafe states for 'daughters and traders'. Despite having come into existence in 1950, Uttar Pradesh never celebrated its Foundation Day until 2018, he said, adding, 'The previous governments were too busy dividing society along caste lines and serving their own families instead of working for the state's development. They ran the state based on family politics, where each district was controlled by a different mafia. As a result of this, people faced an identity crisis.' 'Our government does not discriminate on the basis of caste, region or language. We are committed to providing a platform to every talented youth,' he said. The CM Yuva mobile app will provide access to training, loans, and information about government schemes without bias, he said. The app, he added, will ensure that no young person needs to run from one government office to another, as everything will be available in one place digitally. The Chief Minister said UP now has over 96 lakh MSME units employing more than 2 crore people across communities. 'The government has provided a financial safety net of Rs 5 lakh and social security to these units. With a 14% share in the country's MSME sector, UP is now a leading state in this domain,' he claimed. 'The state's exports have grown from Rs 80,000 crore in 2017 to over Rs 2 lakh crore today. The per capita income has increased from Rs 46,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh, and the state's GDP has surged from Rs 12 lakh 75 thousand crore to Rs 31 lakh crore,' the CM added. He also announced the third edition of the International Trade Show from September 25 to 29 in Greater Noida. The event will serve as a global platform to showcase and promote UP's MSME products to international buyers. As many as 77 products from the state have received the GI tag, and work is underway on 75 new applications, he said. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed with the Human Welfare Association to support artisans from all communities in protecting and promoting their products, the CM informed.
