A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the demolition of commercial spaces in Lucknow’s Akbar Nagar. This comes after the Allahabad High Court dismissed the pleas of 24 occupants, paving the way for the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to demolish allegedly illegal establishments in the area.
Following the high court’s order, the LDA wasted no time in commencing the demolition process on Tuesday evening. The demolition targeted shops and other commercial buildings along Ayodhya Road in Akbar Nagar. On Wednesday morning, Senior Advocate S Muralidhar raised the issue before a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, criticizing the speed with which the demolition was carried out immediately after the high court’s order.
The court, however, noted that the special leave petition had not been placed before it, preventing immediate consideration. Justice Khanna instructed that the plea be first brought before the registrar general for listing. Once listed, the matter would be taken up, assured the judge.
The occupants of these commercial spaces had appealed to the high court, contesting the LDA’s demolition orders. However, a division bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Om Prakash Shukla dismissed the petition yesterday, stating that they found no reason to exercise their discretionary jurisdiction in favor of the petitioners.
The court’s decision revolved around categorizing the occupants into two groups: taxpayers and Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders. It noted that the individuals had claimed to be slum dwellers but failed to provide accurate information. The court clarified that after reviewing the documents, it was evident that neither were the petitioners slum dwellers nor did their establishments fall within the designated slum area.
