The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Sunday restrained the Uttar Pradesh government from taking any action on encroachment in the Maharajganj town of Bahraich following violence on Sunday last.

The court has fixed October 23 as the next date of hearing, till then the restriction will hold.

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A division bench of Justice A R Masoodi and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, while giving the verdict on a PIL of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said the entire matter would be investigated by October 23.

Notices were pasted on around 23 houses on Friday giving three days for the removal of the encroachment.

The entire day on Sunday was spent by the residents of the Maharajganj town under the Mahsi tehsil in fear of bulldozer action. The people remained scared throughout the day although no action was taken by the administration. On Saturday, they themselves were seen demolishing shops and houses, a trend which continued on Sunday too.

There is still peace in the Maharajganj town after the incident of stone pelting and the murder of Ram Gopal Mishra during Durga idol immersion on October 13.

The demolition notices were pasted on the houses of 23 people, including the main accused Abdul Hameed, after which there was panic in the town. However, the situation has changed in the last two days as shops have started opening. Many shops in the main market of the town remained closed on Sunday. Similar was the condition of the market situated in the streets inside the town.