The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday assured the Supreme Court that the State authorities won’t take any action till Wednesday – October 23 – on the notices for the demolition of the buildings belonging to persons allegedly involved in the October 13, 2024, Bahraich violence in the state.

Taking note of the assurance that the demolition notices will not be acted upon, and posting the matter seeking halt to the demolition for hearing on Wednesday, a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan, however cautioned the State government stating “If they (State government) want to take risk of flouting our order, it’s their choice.”

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As senior advocate Chander Uday Singh appeared for the applicants seeking halt to demolition, in a mentioning sought an early hearing, the bench said it will take up tomorrow the application and asked the Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to defer action, to which he (ASG) said that no action will be taken till tomorrow.

The ASG Nataraj also informed the top court that the Allahabad High Court is also seized of the matter. In an urgent hearing, the High Court had on Sunday – October 20 – granted 15 more days to the affected persons to respond to the notices issued by the UP authorities.

The alleged accused in Bahraich violence case, including one Abdul Hameed, have approached the top court against the notices for the demolition of illegal constructions issued by the authorities in the State.

Three people have jointly filed the petition against the demolition notice and urged the top court to quash the notices issued on October 17, 2024. The applicants have also sought, as an interim measure, the stay of the proposed demolition and maintaining the status quo as on the date of issuance of notice on October 17.

Earlier on September 17, the top court had passed an interim order on similar petitions that no construction should be bulldozed without its prior permission, except those that are encroachments on public spaces.

The top court has recently reserved its judgement on a batch of petitions seeking directions against demolition by various state authorities, whereby houses of persons accused of crimes are demolished as a punitive action.