Delhi HC rejects plea to halt demolition of Pakistani-Hindu refugee camp
New Delhi [India], May 31 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has rejected a petition seeking to restrain the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) from demolishing the Pakistani-Hindu refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tila until alternative land is allocated to its residents.
The court acknowledged its sincere attempts to engage with relevant authorities to facilitate the rehabilitation and relocation of the refugees.
However, these efforts remained unproductive, largely due to bureaucratic delays, particularly on the part of the Union of India. Despite the humanitarian concerns, the court clarified that framing policy for refugee relief is beyond its jurisdiction.
In a judgment delivered on Friday, Justice Dharmesh Sharma ruled that the interim order issued on March 12, 2024, stands vacated. The court further stated that the petitioner, Ravi Ranjan Singh, along with other similarly placed refugees, 'have no right to continue to occupy the area in question,' thereby dismissing their plea to halt the eviction.
The bench emphasised the necessity of safeguarding the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains.
It noted that environmental protection measures align with directives from the Supreme Court, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and the Delhi High Court itself. These actions aim to preserve ecological integrity and uphold the fundamental right to a clean and healthy environment for both current and future generations.
Given the fragile state of the Yamuna River, the court asserted that any interference with its restoration efforts cannot be justified. It ruled that humanitarian considerations cannot override environmental imperatives, as such exemptions would delay critical public projects.
The petition, filed by Singh, highlighted the plight of nearly 800 Hindu refugees from Pakistan. It urged the court to direct the DDA to refrain from demolition until alternative land was allocated in accordance with the government's policy under the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019. The plea also called for embankments along the Yamuna to protect such settlements and religious structures, citing precedents like the Akshardham Temple and the Commonwealth Games Village. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
38 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Top military officials from India, Pakistan share views at Shangri-La Dialogue
Top military officials from India and Pakistan highlighted their views at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, billed as Asia's premier defence forum, amid heightened tensions between the two sides following last month's military confrontation. The longstanding tensions between the two neighbours grabbed attention at the gathering of the top global defence forum held from Friday to Sunday, reported Channel News Asia on Sunday. India accused Pakistan-based terror groups of a deadly attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in April, while Pakistan denies any involvement. And just as these nations sit next to each other geographically, some of their top generals sat in neighbouring conference rooms inside the Shangri-La Singapore, taking part in simultaneous sessions late on Saturday afternoon on topics ranging from defence innovation solutions to regional crisis-management mechanisms. "What India has done, politically, they have drawn a new red line of intolerance against terror," General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff with the Indian Armed Forces, said, referring to Operation Sindoor. "I hope, this particular operation, it's basically lying in military domain, that should bring about some lessons for our adversary also, and hopefully they learn that this is a limit of India's tolerance," Gen Chauhan said. "We have been subjected to this proxy war of terror for almost two decades and more, and we lost lot of want to put an end to it," he said. Operation Sindoor was launched early on May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. All subsequent retaliations to Pakistani offensives were carried out under this operation. The four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee of the Pakistan Armed Forces, warned of what could happen should another clash occur. "The strategic stability with the lowering of this threshold to the dangerous levels if next time such a conflict occurs and the cities are targeted first and the borders become irrelevant... there could be a possibility that before the international community intervenes because of the restricted or constricted times window, the damage and destruction may have already taken place," he said at the event. In the wake of the recent hostilities, both sides have moved from weapons to words, with India dispatching several delegations to visit more than 30 capitals across the world. A similar effort by Pakistan is set to start on June 2. The Channel also had a member of the multi-party Indian delegation that visited East and Southeast Asia during a stop in Singapore on May 27. Congress party leader and former external affairs minister Salman Khurshid agreed with the views that the effort is unprecedented. "It is an innovation, in a sense. And the fact that there are multi-party delegations, seven of them across the world, to all members of the (UN) Security Council and prospective members of the Security Council. In that sense, it is unprecedented, and we've got enormous support," he was quoted as saying. "You might even put it as something that has started, something that will at least ensure that our narrative is carried right through," he said. And that narrative is firmly focused on India's accusations that Pakistan isn't doing nearly enough to snuff out terrorism, according to the Channel report. General Mirza told the Channel in a wide-ranging interview that Pakistan is taking on terrorism on its soil and working to tackle cross-border terrorism from groups based in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Mirza said terrorism has cost his country hundreds of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives. India and Pakistan's 96-hour confrontation was seen as a test of the rivals' respective weapons systems, including French-made Rafale fighter jets and Chinese-made J10-C jets, armed with Chinese-made missiles, according to the Channel report. But the top generals on both sides have said their military forces can pick and choose when it comes to their firepower. "India doesn't depend on one nation for its defence needs,' said General Chauhan. "It's a number of capabilities which were put together, and most of these capabilities were put to good effects,' he was quoted as saying. General Mirza told the Channel that his country's capabilities include weapons from China and many other places. "I have military equipment from the US. I have military equipment from Turkiye. I have military equipment from Italy. I have military equipment from the UK," he listed. "We have the equipment from all equipment-producing countries." In addition, both sides relied on drones while also facing serious threats in the form of disinformation. But global concern was firmly fixed on the unconventional weapons they both possess, the ones that can cause widespread destruction and loss of life. The countries continue to maintain that the use of nuclear weapons was never on the table, with Pakistani officials, including General Mirza dismissing reports that Islamabad called a meeting of the National Command Authority, the body that oversees Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. "The tools of modern conflict are artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber, precision, firepower and weapons," Mirza said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Free terror agreement': What Priyanka Chaturvedi said about Pakistan in London
Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday said that while India is pursuing global free trade agreements, Pakistan is promoting what she called a 'free terrorist arrangement' across the world. 'We have just concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK. We signed with Australia some time ago. We are going to do that with the European Union, and with the USA sometime soon,' she said in London as part of an all-party delegation. 'India is looking at trade, we are looking at economy, we are looking at commerce, while they (Pakistan) are looking at free terrorist arrangement across the world. That is what we need to expose,' she added. Priyanka Chaturvedi said that while India hosts the G20, Pakistan hosts the T20, sheltering the world's top terrorists, a policy evident from Osama bin Laden, who was hidden and supported by the Pakistani government. 'While we host the G20, they host the T20. The top 20 terrorists of the world will be found being hosted by the Pakistani state government. It is their stated policy right from Osama bin Laden,' she said. Referring to the US raid that killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, she said, 'You must go back home and see the documentary on how Osama bin Laden was taken out of Pakistan. He was hidden, actively financed, aided, trained, and supported, hidden from their so-called ally, the US. They shake hands with you, but they bite you on your back,' the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added. Priyanka said that over 100 terrorists were killed in strikes under Operation Sindoor, warning they could have carried out attacks worldwide, and praised India's armed forces for their actions. 'Our armed forces have said over 100 terrorists have died in the strikes. You can imagine these terrorists were capable of carrying out 100 terror activities, not just in India, but across the world, so the world should be thanking the armed forces of India for doing what they did,' said Priyanka. Recalling the Pahalgam terror attack, Priyanka Chaturvedi said terrorists had asked victims their religion before killing them. 'They did this in the hope that they would divide this nation. India doesn't stand divided. India stands united, and it's our diversity that we celebrate, the diversity that brings this unity,' she added. With ANI inputs
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
For Indian students, US dreams suddenly in doubt
For Indian students, US dreams suddenly in doubt India, the country that sends more students to the US than any other, young people who had hoped to pursue higher education in America this fall described feeling in a state of limbo after the Trump administration's decision to pause interviews with foreign nationals applying for student visas. Some are scrubbing their feeds, deleting comments and unfollowing accounts after the state department said that it would screen social media use. Others are exchanging news and information in newly formed encrypted group chats. And some have sought divine aid in "visa temples" - so called because Hindu devotees say prayers there provide a greater chance of getting a tourist, study or work visa. Career counsellors have become therapists, and the extended family networks that many Indians have in America, have set up war rooms online. Other students are revisiting their backup plans or rethinking their academic paths. "I have carefully built my profile to be able to get into the top policy programs in the US," said Kaushik Sharma, 28. He called it his "dream" to study in America but added that the current environment was making him nervous about applying. "I don't want to go there and be in a constant state of fear," he said. He is now considering similar public policy programs at universities in Britain and Singapore, he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Karan Gupta, a career counsellor said he had been inundated by calls in the past few days. "There are students with admission letters who don't know if they will get visa appointments, and those in the US worried about their visa status. He tried to reassure clients that, statistically, it was unlikely that most students' plans would be upended," he added. A third of the foreign students in US schools, or around 330,000, are from India. The number has grown, surpassing China in the 2023-24 school year. The trouble began on May 22, when the Trump administration said it would ban Harvard University from enrolling international students. Five days later, the state department said it would pause interviews with foreign nationals applying for student visas as it expands scrutiny of their social media posts. Although a judge has blocked the administration's step against Harvard, and the state department has said that student interviews scheduled before its order would proceed. American universities have produced leaders like Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft; and Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Alphabet, both of whom grew up in India and attended US graduate programs. Gita Gopinath, the second in command at the IMF; and Abhijit Banerjee, a Nobel-winning economist and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, were also initially educated in India.
