Relief for 6,000 residents of Indira Colony as HC halts demolition drive
New Delhi
Over 6,000 residents of Indira Colony in north-west Delhi have received a temporary reprieve as the Delhi High Court ordered a stay on a demolition drive scheduled for Saturday and directed that no coercive action be taken until the next hearing on July 31.
The court passed the interim order on a petition filed by the Indira Colony Resident Welfare Association, which challenged an eviction notice issued by the Northern Railway on July 4, citing 'unauthorised occupation' of railway land. The court observed that the issue 'requires further examination'.
Broken promise
Amid legal proceedings, the issue drew sharp political reactions. At a press conference, Leader of the Opposition Atishi said: 'Before elections, the Prime Minister promised every slum dweller a pucca house under the slogan 'Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan'. But ever since the BJP came to power, bulldozers have arrived at poor people's homes.'
Former Shalimar Bagh AAP MLA Bandana Kumari said panic spread in the area on July 4 when the notice was pasted. 'This is CM Rekha Gupta's constituency. Despite her assurances, bulldozers razed one jhuggi earlier. Now, Indira Camp faces the same threat,' she said.
While there was no immediate response from the BJP, the CM had previously assured residents that no demolition would occur without legal process or rehabilitation, and that any demolitions under way were court-directed.
Policy breach
The petitioners argued that the eviction violated Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and dignity, including shelter, and that authorities had not followed due process under the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, and the 2016 Draft Protocols.
'None of the required steps were taken,' it said, pointing out that the colony appears as Serial No. 74 on the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board's (DUSIB) list of 675 eligible jhuggi jhopri (JJ) bastis. The protocol mandates that the land-owning agency must send a request to DUSIB, which must examine the eligibility of the basti for rehabilitation. Only if found ineligible, can demolition proceedings begin, the plea said.
Appearing for the Northern Railway, the Central government's counsel submitted that the land belongs to the railway and that the occupants were in 'illegal possession'. The eviction notice, the counsel argued, was issued in accordance with the law.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Kerala nuns' arrest triggers political slugfest; Chhattisgarh CM justifies action
KOCHI/NEW DELHI: The arrest of two Catholic nuns, hailing from Kerala, in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversion triggered a political slugfest on Monday with Congress and CPI (M) criticising their arrest and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai accusing the parties of politicising the issue. Defending the arrest, Sai also said he was concerned about the safety of "our daughters of Bastar." Amid mounting protests in Kerala by both the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF and the opposition Congress-led UDF over the arrest of the nuns, Rahul Gandhi alleged that they were jailed in Chhattisgarh because of their faith and claimed that a "systematic persecution" of minorities was taking place wherever the BJP was in power. Noting that religious freedom is a constitutional right, Gandhi demanded the immediate release of the nuns and accountability for the injustice committed against them. "Two Catholic nuns jailed in Chhattisgarh after being targeted for their faith - this isn't justice, it's BJP-RSS mob rule. It reflects a dangerous pattern: systematic persecution of minorities under this regime," Gandhi said in a post on X. "UDF MPs protested in Parliament today. We will not be silent. Religious freedom is a constitutional right. We demand their immediate release and accountability for this injustice," the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also said. Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis, as well as a third person identified as Sukaman Mandavi, were arrested from Durg railway station on July 25 following a complaint from a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them, a railway police official had said on Sunday.
The Hindu
25 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Congress speaking the language of Pakistan: BJP on Chidambaram's remarks
The BJP on Monday (July 28, 2025) accused the Congress, including its senior leader P. Chidambaram, of 'speaking the language' of Pakistan on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor. Speaking to the media inside the Parliament complex, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked why Mr. Chidambaram was asking for proof of Pakistan's involvement in the terror attack. 'They had sought a discussion on Operation Sindoor. When the government is ready for discussion, why are they running away from it?' he said, alleging that the Congress and Mr. Chidambaram were speaking the language of Pakistan. Follow Parliament Monsoon session LIVE Day 6 updates here Earlier, former Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur said: 'Whenever the topic of Pakistan and terrorism comes up, Pakistan itself doesn't defend Pakistan as much as 'Rahul occupied Congress' does. Today, when the discussion on the Pahalgam terrorist attack is to take place in Parliament, the statement in favour of Pakistan by senior Congress leader and former Home Minister Chidambaramji reflects Congress's pro-Pakistan mentality.' Responding to the charge via a post on X, Mr. Chidambaram said: 'Trolls are of different kinds and use different tools to spread misinformation. The worst kind is a troll who suppresses the full recorded interview, takes two sentences, mutes some words, and paints the speaker in a black colour!' In an interview with a media platform, Mr. Chidambaram had said: '...they are unwilling to disclose what the NIA [National Investigation Agency] has done all these weeks. Have they identified the terrorists?...where they came from? For all we know, they could be homegrown terrorists. Why do you assume that they came from Pakistan? There is no evidence of that.'
Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘Didn't get protection, separated instead': HC slams Delhi Police for violation of rights of interfaith couple
The Delhi High Court has slammed the Delhi Police for allegedly separating an interfaith couple instead of providing them protection. Noting that the woman was detained at a shelter home, the High Court has sought an explanation from the police. In an order on July 25, Justice Sanjeev Narula underlined that 'such conduct, prima facie, amounts to a violation of fundamental rights of the couple… particularly their right to liberty, dignity, and to make autonomous decisions concerning marriage, as guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution'. The bench also directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) concerned to ascertain the woman's safety, and move the couple to a safe house in accordance with Delhi Police's standard operating procedure (SOP). A Muslim man, in a relationship with a Hindu woman since 2018, and represented by advocate Utkarsh Singh, moved the High Court with a petition seeking the court's urgent directions, on July 25 to the Delhi Police to provide the couple with necessary protection and a safe house as the Supreme Court-mandated guidelines stipulate. The request was made after the couple expressed their intent to marry which was met with intense familial opposition and threats. On July 22, as per the petition, the woman met the man in Delhi and the couple had then approached the DCP (South East district) for police protection under the Delhi Police's SOP for consenting adult couples. However instead of being provided with the safety as desired, the couple was 'forcibly separated' with the woman 'medically examined, and later detained at Nirmal Chhaya Women's Shelter around 3 am on 24.07.2025, despite her repeated and recorded pleas to be with' her partner. According to the couple's advocate Singh, the two were reunited and housed at a safe house several hours after the HC's order. The High Court has also sought a status report from the police on the circumstances surrounding the events of July 23-24, including the action taken on the couple's complaint where they had expressed their fear of potential threats to their safety as they intended to get married under Special Marriage Act, and had sought police protection in this regard. The HC has kept the matter for further consideration on August 8 when the police is expected to furnish details on the incident.
