The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government and Prayagraj Development Authority to pay ₹10 lakh each as compensation to homeowners whose properties were demolished in 2021. This decision follows the court's earlier ruling on March 24, where it determined that the demolitions had been carried out within 24 hours of the notice being served.
The court described the demolitions as &ldquo;high-handed,&rdquo; emphasizing the violation of the right to shelter and due process. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan noted that the action was shocking and unconstitutional. They stated, &ldquo;This shocks our conscience. There is something called right to shelter, due process of law.&rdquo;
The petitioners, including advocate Zulfiqar Haider and professor Ali Ahmed, argued that the demolitions were wrongly executed based on an assumption that the land belonged to gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was killed in 2023. They pointed out that the demolition notice, issued on March 1, 2021, was delivered on March 6, and the demolition occurred on March 7, without giving the homeowners a fair chance to appeal.
The Allahabad High Court had previously dismissed the petitioners' challenge to the demolition. The Supreme Court&rsquo;s&nbsp;ruling now ensures compensation and a chance for reconstruction at the homeowners&rsquo;&nbsp;expense.
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The applicants said they were not given enough time to move

Supreme Court slams UP's ‘high-handed' action, directs payment to homeowners within six weeks

₹10 Lakh Comp for Prayagraj Demolition Victims

Supreme Court slams UP's ‘high-handed' action, directs payment to homeowners within six weeks

April 1, 2025 | 15:28 IST