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Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Neither Pak nor India to be blamed, our fault is we were born: Hindu refugees in Majnu Ka Tila
On a table in a room that has walls made up of corrugated metal sheet lies a notice issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the contents of which are powerful enough to shake up the future of 800 Pakistani Hindu refugees staying in a camp in Delhi's Majnu ka Tila. 'Bhai, notice aagaya hai… ab hum kahan jaayenge,' said a camp resident while referring to the public notice issued on July 14. 'How can they evict us without giving us any alternate living space… Some imaginary lines were drawn by foreigners to divide India and Pakistan. They didn't care about the toll it would take on us… We hoped at least the government of India would care about us,' he added, refusing to share his name. The refugee camp is located on the Yamuna floodplains, which, according to the Delhi Master Plan, fall in Zone 'O', where construction and housing are prohibited due to environmental concerns. The DDA notice issued on July 14 has stated: '…the Hon'ble High Court has given judgment in favour of DDA… In compliance… it is proposed to conduct demolition drive against encroachment in Yamuna River flood plain DDA land south of Gurdwara in Majnoo ka Tila on 15/07/2025 and 16/07/2025.' Requesting that the residents vacate the area by July 14, it added that if not done, 'they (residents) will be responsible for any damage caused due to demolition drive against encroachment' on July 15, 16, and thereafter. The eviction, however, is yet to begin, said residents. On May 30, the HC had dismissed a petition filed by one Ravi Ranjan Singh seeking the court's direction to the DDA not to demolish the camp, till some alternative piece of land is allotted to the residents under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Pointing out the need to secure the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment for the residents and future generations of Delhi, Justice Dharmesh Sharma had said in his May order: 'Given the critical condition of Yamuna river, this court unhesitatingly finds that no interference with the ongoing restoration and rejuvenation efforts of the river can be countenanced at the petitioner's instance.' Dharamvir Solanki, who has been living in the camp since 2013, said, 'Around 1,000 people live in this camp…700 of them don't have Indian citizenship. None of them has a ration card. Some have come after the CAA cut-off date of December 2014… Why even have a cut-off date like this?' While the walls of houses in the camp are made of bamboo slats, corrugated metal sheets, or even mud bricks, the roofs are an amalgamation of tarpaulin and straw. Some houses bear the marks of recent destruction or ongoing construction, and the ceilings are a rustic lattice of wooden beams and bamboo. 'It is neither the fault of India, nor of Pakistan… our fault is we were born,' said Maina (25), who has been living in the camp for the last 12 years. 'They called us 'Hindustani' there, and they call us 'Pakistani' here,' said Shruti (40), who has recently shifted to the camp. As her child asks for Rs 10 to purchase finger chips being made by a group of women inside the camp, Maina said, 'It breaks my heart when he asks for money… I earn just Rs 100 a day. I spend more than I earn. Earlier, we would sell mobile phone covers… but a single flood in the camp takes us 10 years back. Our savings, our inventory… everything gets destroyed.' 'We didn't even have power for the last 10 years. This used to be a cemetery… finding corpses in the ground was common a decade ago,' said Mohini, another resident. 'A snake is spotted here every single day… I am scared for my children,' she added.
Scroll.in
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Delhi HC rejects petition to halt demolition of Pakistani Hindu refugee camp in Majnu Ka Tila
The Delhi High Court has rejected a petition seeking to stop the Delhi Development Authority from demolishing a camp set up by Hindu refugees from Pakistan in the national capital's Majnu Ka Tila area along the Yamuna river till an alternative plot of land is allotted to the residents. Justice Dharmesh Sharma on Friday dismissed a petition by a person named Ravi Ranjan Singh seeking orders to the authority to allot the refugees a different plot as per the Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy before demolishing their tenements. This policy aims to provide permanent in-situ housing to slum dwellers in Delhi. Singh, in his petition, also sought directions for embankments to be built along the Yamuna to protect the camp, which houses around 800 residents, and the other similar tenements and religious structures in the area, while also maintaining the sanctity of the river, Live Law reported. The petitioner noted that the Citizenship Amendment Act was framed with the idea of providing citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from neighbouring countries to help them escape religious persecution, The Hindu reported. The Act is aimed to provide a fast track to citizenship to refugees from six minority religious communities, except Muslims, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the condition that they have lived in India for six years and have entered the country by December 31, 2014. In Friday's order, the court said that Pakistani refugees cannot be rehabilitated under the Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy 'on account of their foreign nationality status'. The judge told the petitioner as well as the other refugees to firstly acquire Indian citizenship by way of registration or naturalisation by submitting an application under the Citizenship Amendment Act. 'Needless to state, the effect of the acceptance of such an application would be that the aggrieved refugees shall be deemed citizens of India and would be able to enjoy all rights and benefits available to any ordinary citizen of India,' the order said. The judge, however, said that even Indian citizens could not claim alternate allotment as an 'absolute right', particularly in cases where the land they occupied fell under specially prohibited areas like Zone 'O' in Delhi, which refers to the floodplains along the Yamuna. 'At the cost of repetition, it is an admitted position that the camp set up by the refugees in question is situated in the Yamuna floodplains area,' the court said, further citing a 2015 order by the National Green Tribunal directing governmental agencies to repossess areas in the floodplains that were under unauthorised occupation and take steps to restore the ecological health of the Yamuna. 'Given the critical condition of the Yamuna River, this court unhesitatingly finds that no interference with the ongoing restoration and rejuvenation efforts of the river can be countenanced at the petitioner's instance,' Sharma said. He added that 'this stance holds irrespective of any humanitarian or sympathetic considerations advanced before the court' as it would obstruct and delay the implementation of public projects. The order added that the court had attempted to engage with the concerned authorities to facilitate the rehabilitation and relocation of the refugees. 'However, these efforts have been unfruitful, seemingly due to a classic case of bureaucratic buck-passing, particularly on the part of the respondent no. 2/Union of India,' it said. 'Nevertheless, this court cannot undertake the exercise of framing a policy to ameliorate the plight of the refugees.' The court vacated an interim order passed on March 13, 2024. This had granted Singh interim relief in the matter and issued directions to the Delhi Development Authority to refrain from taking any coercive action against him, Live Law reported.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Plea to halt demolition of refugee camp rejected
NEW DELHI: The Delhi HC has turned down a plea asking the Delhi Development Authority not to remove or demolish a refugee camp set up by Pakistani-Hindu migrants at Majnu Ka Tila, unless they are first given another place to live. Justice Dharmesh Sharma, who delivered the verdict on May 30, made it clear that the petitioner, Ravi Ranjan Singh, and others living in similar conditions, have 'no right to continue to occupy the area in question.' The Court also lifted the interim protection it had granted on March 13 last year, which had barred the DDA from taking action against Singh. The refugee settlement in question lies in the Yamuna floodplains, a highly sensitive ecological zone. The Court noted that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has already given clear instructions to government bodies like the DDA to reclaim such areas from illegal occupation and to begin work on restoring the Yamuna's ecological health.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Delhi HC bins plea against demolition of tenements of Hindu refugees from Pakistan
The Delhi High Court has rejected a plea seeking a stay on the proposed demolition of an illegal colony set up by Hindu refugees from Pakistan along the Yamuna river in north Delhi till an alternative plot of land is allotted to the affected people. The court also vacated an interim stay it had granted on March 12 against the demolition. Justice Dharmesh Sharma on Friday rejected the plea filed by a man named Ravi Ranjan Singh, seeking orders to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to allot the refugees a different spot in the city as per the provisions in the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, before demolishing their tenements. Mr. Singh argued that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was framed with the idea of providing Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from the neighbouring countries, to help them escape religious persecution. 'Must be a citizen' However, the court said that it 'has no hesitation in holding that the petitioner is not entitled to the reliefs sought by way of the present petition' because to be eligible to avail of the provisions of the Delhi government policy, the person seeking relief 'must first and foremost be a citizen of India'. 'On account of their nationality, the Pakistani refugees cannot be rehabilitated under the DUSIB policy,' it added. The court asked the petitioner, as well as the other refugees, to first acquire Indian citizenship, adding that it could 'be done online with ease' and asked the Delhi State Legal Service Authority to help the refugees to comply with the necessary legal formalities. Remarks against Centre The court added that 'even Indian citizens cannot claim alternate allotment as an absolute right, particularly in cases where the land they occupy falls under specially prohibited areas like Zone 'O' of Delhi, i.e., the Yamuna floodplains'. Justice Sharma also made observations regarding the court's attempts to engage with the concerned authorities to facilitate the rehabilitation and relocation of the refugees, saying all its 'efforts have been unfruitful, seemingly due to the classic case of bureaucratic buck-passing, particularly on the part of the Union of India'. The judge added, 'Nevertheless, this court cannot undertake the exercise of framing a policy to ameliorate the plight of the refugees.'
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi High Court dismisses plea against demolition of Pakistani Hindu refugee camp
New Delhi: dismissed a petition seeking a direction to Delhi Development Authority not to disturb or demolish the Pakistani Hindu refugee camp at Majnu ka Tilla until an alternative piece of land is allotted to the residents. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A single-judge bench of Justice Dharmesh Sharma observed that the Pakistani refugees could not be rehabilitated under the DUSIB policy due to their foreign nationality status. "Needless to state, the effect of the acceptance of such an application would be that the aggrieved refugees shall be deemed citizens of India and would be able to enjoy all rights and benefits available to any ordinary citizen of India," it said. The court rejected the plea filed by Ravi Ranjan Singh, stating that he and other similarly placed refugees have no right to continue occupying the area. It vacated the interim relief granted in March last year. Singh also requested that DDA be directed to make embankments along the Yamuna so that such colonies and religious structures might be protected, as was the case with the Akshardham temple and Commonwealth Games Village, and that the sanctity of the river might also be maintained. The court impressed upon the petitioner and the other refugees to first acquire Indian citizenship under Section 10A of . It added that the aggrieved parties could approach the member secretary, Delhi State Legal Services Authority, for help. The court observed that even Indian citizens couldn't claim alternate allotment as an absolute right, particularly in cases concerning specially prohibited areas like zone O of Delhi, i.e., Tired of too many ads? go ad free now the Yamuna floodplain. The bench noted the camp was situated on the Yamuna floodplain and National Green Tribunal had directed to several govt agencies to repossess such areas and take steps to restore the river's ecological health. The court further added that its efforts to engage with the authorities to facilitate the refugees' rehabilitation didn't succeed due bureaucratic buck-passing, particularly on the part of Centre.
