Congress leader Rahul Gandhi praised the Supreme Court’s remarks on the demolition of houses belonging to the accused, saying that the “BJP’s anti-constitutional face, which has crushed humanity and justice under the bulldozer, has now been exposed.”
In a post on X, Gandhi welcomed the court’s comments on “the BJP’s unconstitutional and unjust ‘bulldozer policy’.” He said that the bulldozer, a symbol of unchecked power, has consistently defied the law with arrogance by trampling on civil rights.Gandhi, in a post in Hindi, pointed out that it is often the homes of the Bahujans and the poor that are targeted by the bulldozer, which is being used to establish a “rule of fear” under the pretext of “instant justice.”
Former UP CM and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also welcomed the SC ruling, saying, “Bulldozer chalana unconstitutional tha aur pehle se hum log is baat ko uthate rahe. Main dhanyawad deta hoon, badhai deta hoon ke nyay ka bulldozer chal gaya hai. Nyay mila hai. (Using bulldozers was unconstitutional, and we had been raising this issue for a long time. I thank and congratulate everyone that the bulldozer of justice has finally been set in motion),” said Akhilesh Yadav while speaking to media.
In response to the apex court’s decision, the Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj also wrote on X, stating, “Annyay ke bullzoder se bada hota hai nyay ka bulldozer. (Justice’s bulldozer is greater than the bulldozer of injustice).”
The Supreme Court, while hearing a series of petitions against bulldozer/demolition action, which is frequently carried out by authorities targeting the homes of those accused of serious crimes, clarified on Monday that property cannot be demolished even if the person is convicted.
However, the Supreme Court said that it will not protect any illegal structures obstructing public roads. The bench questioned how anyone’s house could be demolished merely because they are an accused.
The bench of Justice BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan, observed, “Even if he is a convict, still it can’t be done without following the procedure as prescribed by law,” while addressing the pleas against demolition action.
“We propose to lay down certain guidelines on a pan-India basis so that the concerns about the issues raised are taken care of,” the bench added.
In recent years, various state governments have demolished houses and properties belonging to individuals involved in serious crimes.
Justice KV Viswanathan remarked that a “father may have a recalcitrant son, but if the house is demolished on this ground…this is not the way to go about it.”