New Delhi: “Bulldozer justice is simply unacceptable under the rule of law,” the Supreme Court has stated, calling for punitive criminal action against individual officials who sanction or carry out unlawful demolition of people’s properties.

If “bulldozer justice” was permitted, the constitutional recognition of the right to property under Article 300A would be reduced to a dead letter, the court observed in a strong indictment of the arbitrary demolition of properties in BJP- ruled Uttar Pradesh.

“Justice through bulldozers is unknown to any civilised system of jurisprudence. There is a grave danger that if high handed and unlawful behaviour is permitted by any wing or officer of the state, demolition of citizens’ properties will take place as a selective reprisal for extraneous reasons,” the apex court said.

Court directs UP government to pay compensation of Rs. 25 lakh to senior journalist

A three-judge Bench comprising outgoing Chief Justice of India D.Y Chandrachud along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra made the observations on November 6 while directing the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government to pay senior journalist Manoj Tibrewal a compensation of Rs 25 lakh after his ancestral house and shop were unlawfully demolished by officials for........

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