
SC orders status quo in Ahmedabad slum demolition case, Assures to pay rent differential
New Delhi, Apr 25 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Friday directed that status quo be maintained at a slum site in Chharanagar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where demolition was allegedly being carried out despite the Court's earlier protective order.
A Bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh passed the interim order while hearing a plea by 49 slum dwellers who claimed that they were being forcibly evicted without proper notice or rehabilitation, in violation of the Gujarat Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1973.
The matter was first mentioned before the Court on Thursday, when temporary protection from demolition was granted till Monday (April 28). However, after reports emerged that demolition activities had resumed at the site, the petitioner's counsel, AoR Sumitra Kumari Choudhary, urgently mentioned the matter again, seeking enforcement of the interim relief.
The Bench questioned the petitioner's counsel regarding relocation of slum dwellers as part of the area's redevelopment plan. When it was submitted that the rent compensation offered of Rs 6,000 per month was insufficient even for a slum accommodation, the Court advised the petitioners to accept the available alternative housing, and assured that the Court would address the rent differential if necessary.
Posting the matter for detailed hearing on April 28, the Court emphasized that no further demolition should take place in the interim.
The petitioners had earlier approached the Gujarat High Court challenging a public notice dated January 29, 2025, which required them to vacate their homes within 30 days.
They contended that individual notices were not served, and only a public notice was issued, violating their rights under the Slum Act. They also alleged that demolition began on March 20, 2025, without proper procedure.
The State of Gujarat, in response, argued that the area had been declared a 'Slum Clearance Area' in 2019, and that all structures were unauthorized. A work order had been issued to a private developer, and multiple public notices were pasted at the site. The State maintained that the petitioners were attempting to stall a long-pending redevelopment project, which had already benefited hundreds of residents.
The High Court had rejected the slum dwellers' plea, holding that due procedure was followed and over 508 beneficiaries were already relocated and awaiting new housing. It further observed that seven residential towers had already been constructed, undermining the claim that the petitioners were unaware of the redevelopment process.
The High Court had granted 30 days' time for voluntary vacation, provided the petitioners filed an undertaking.
Now, with the Supreme Court stepping in and indicating sympathy toward the plight of the slum residents, particularly on the issue of inadequate rent compensation, the case is set to be further heard on April 28, with the Court's assurance of balanced relief keeping the demolition in abeyance till then.
UNI SNG SJC
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scroll.in
34 minutes ago
- Scroll.in
ED raids premises linked to Congress MP E Tukaram, 3 MLAs in Karnataka ST corporation scam case
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at premises linked to Congress MP from Ballari E Tukaram and three MLAs in Karnataka in a case about alleged irregularities in the state Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, PTI reported. Five locations in Ballari and three in Bengaluru belonging to Tukaram and the three MLAs – the Congress' Nara Bharath Reddy, JN Ganesh and NT Srinivas – were being searched under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the news agency quoted unidentified officials as saying. Commenting on the searches, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the state government would not support any violation of the law nor come in the way of its implementation, PTI reported. 'Let them do whatever they want in accordance with the law…We won't obstruct it,' he said. The case pertains to the alleged misappropriation of funds belonging to the state Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation. The matter came to light in May 2024 after its accounts superintendent, Chandrashekhar, died by suicide. In a note left behind, Chandrasekhar alleged that funds to the tune of Rs 187 crore had been transferred from the corporation's bank account. A Special Investigation Team set up by the Karnataka government is looking into the allegations of misappropriation of funds. The team has arrested 14 persons in the case, including two officials of the corporation – managing director Padmanabha GJ and accounts officer Parashuram Dugganavar, The Indian Express reported. The Enforcement Directorate has also claimed that Rs 20.19 crore of the funds siphoned from the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation was used to support the Tukaram's campaign from Ballari constituency during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.


India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
Income Tax officials allowed to quiz Ranya Rao for 3 days in gold smuggling case
Kannada actor Ranya Rao will be interrogated by the Income Tax Department for three days in connection with a gold smuggling case. The Special Court for Economic Offences has granted permission for the questioning, which will take place from today until June 13 between 10 am and 5 pm. As directed by the court, the interrogation will be videographed inside the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, where Rao is currently incarcerated. advertisementRanya Rao was arrested at the Bengaluru airport on March 3 for allegedly attempting to smuggle 14.8 kg of gold from Dubai. A detailed personal search reportedly revealed gold bars concealed around her waist and calves using bandages and tissues. Additional gold bars and cut pieces were also found hidden in her shoes and front pockets. The seized gold, stated to be of 24-carat purity, was valued at over Rs 12.56 crore. Rao has been booked under the Customs Act and the Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act. The Income Tax Department is probing the source of funds used to purchase the smuggled gold. The interrogation, led by woman inspector Shwetha and inspector Ravipal, is expected to shed light on possible financial networks and identify any accomplices involved in the June 3, Rao's mother filed a habeas corpus petition before the Karnataka High Court, challenging the legality of her daughter's detention in connection with the gold smuggling Rao was granted bail on May 20 by the Special Court for Economic Offences, but continues to remain in custody, due to a separate case that was filed under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (Cofeposa).advertisement IN THIS STORY#Bengaluru#Karnataka


India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
Indo-Canadians nabbed for smuggling Rs 300 crore cocaine into Canada from US
Several Indo-Canadians were arrested by Canada's Peel Regional Police (PRP) on June 6 in connection with the seizure of 479 kg of cocaine worth CAD $50 million (approximately Rs 299.3 crore). A total of nine people, which included several individuals of Indian descent, were arrested while they were trying to smuggle cocaine into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), from the US. The drug bust, according to the police, is the largest one in the department's seizure marked the conclusion of PRP's Project Pelican, a year-long investigation launched in June 2024 that focused on a network of commercial truck drivers smuggling cocaine into Canada through US border crossings in Michigan, according to a statement issued by the police on Tuesday, June nine people were arrested following multiple raids and now face 35 criminal charges related to drug offences and firearms. As of June 6, the nine accused who have been arrested are: Arvinder Powar (29), Manpreet Singh (44), Gurtej Singh (36), Karamjit Singh (36), Sartaj Singh (27), Shiv Onkar Singh (31), Sajgith Yogendrarajah (31), Tommy Huynh (27), and Philip Tep (39).The accused will soon be appearing for bail at the Ontario Court of Justice in MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH WAS ACHIEVED IN FEBRUARYCanada Border Services Agency (CBSA) intercepted a commercial truck at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, which led to the seizure of 127 kg of cocaine concealed in the trailer and the arrest of the driver. According to Toronto-based tabloid newspaper, The Toronto Sun, the seizure was made on February second bust took place at the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, where authorities discovered an additional 50 kilograms of seizures were also made across the GTA in connection with commercial trucking by the Peel Reserve Police, some of which included individuals in possession of loaded firearms at the time of arrest, according to the multiple raids in different jurisdictions in Ontario, the nine men were arrested and charged, reported The Toronto SEMI-AUTOMATIC FIREARMS ALSO RECOVERED: PEEL REGIONAL POLICE"Altogether, PRP seized 479 kilograms of bricked cocaine, with an estimated street value of CAD 47.9 million. They also recovered two semi-automatic firearms," the PRP statement Chief Nish Duraiappah said organised crime groups thrive by exploiting border vulnerabilities, which poses a significant risk to public safety."Organised crime continues to exploit borders and pose serious threats to public safety. However, we remain firmly committed to working with our partners to protect our communities and enhance safety in our region and beyond," Duraiappah said at a news conference held on Tuesday, Canada-based news channel, CBC, this year, Toronto Police, during Project Castillo, intercepted 835 kg of cocaine worth an estimated $83 million on the streets that was destined for Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), according to a report in the Toronto a January news conference, Toronto Superintendent Paul MacIntyre, of the Organised Crime Enforcement Unit, said that the drugs originated in Mexico and travelled through the US via transport truck and were linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a Mexican crime smuggling of drugs from the US into Canada via trucks through land ports has been a persistent issue. To address that, the law enforcement agencies in Canada have launched several initiatives and ramped up their Watch