Contempt of Court: Bulldozers still at work despite SC’s status quo order

While the Supreme Court has ordered a status quo on the demolition of the “illegal properties of the riot accused” in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, bulldozers are still “razing down structures”, reported NDTV.

NDTV quoted civic officials present on the ground as saying that they haven’t received any official order yet, and would stop only after receiving official intimation.

Early on Wednesday morning, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation sent nine bulldozers to bring down structures in the area as part of an anti-encroachment drive, while also requesting the deployment of 400 police personnel to maintain law and order in the area.

Though the Delhi Mayor said it was “routine exercise”, the drive comes after Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta asked him to “identify illegal constructions by rioters and demolish them,” reported NDTV.

The Supreme Court will hear the matter on the two-day eviction drive tomorrow.

Jahangirpuri has been in the news since Saturday when a Hanuman Jayanti procession turned violent after participants raised Jai Shri Ram slogans outside a mosque and tried to unfurl the saffron flag in the compound. Nine people were injured, and 25 have been arrested, with five of them being charged under NSA.

Special Commissioner of Police Dependra Pathak was quoted by NDTV as saying, “So far, the probe does not suggest this (that it was planned). As of now it looks like it was all impromptu but now investigation is being done by the Crime Branch.”