The Supreme Court today issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on the demolition of houses of those accused in recent violence in the state and said, "demolitions have to be in accordance with law, they cannot be retaliatory".
The Supreme court, however, did not order UP to stop the demolitions. "We can't stay demolitions. We can say go in accordance with law," said the court.
The Supreme Court made the comments while hearing a petition filed by Muslim body Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in connection with the recent demolitions of buildings deemed illegal by the state administration, including the home of Javed Mohammad - a leader with the Welfare Party of India.
Javed Mohammad's house was razed on Sunday by the district development authority in Prayagraj that has claimed the building had been illegally constructed and that he had not appeared for hearings after notices issued in May. His lawyers, however, said the family only received a copy of the notice late on Saturday, the night before the demolition, and that the building was owned by his wife and not him.
