On 1st April The Supreme Court ordered PDA (Prayagraj Development Authority) to pay a compensation of 10 lakhs to the six individuals whose houses were illegally demolished by the authorities in 2021. The court said that the order of demolition executed in 2021 was against the Fundamental right to shelter under Article 21 of the Indian constitution.
The individuals whose houses were demolished included Shahnaz Parvin, Zulfiqar Haidar, Ali Ahmed Fatmi, Naila Fatmi, Baby Maimuna, and Ahmed Ali. The court ruled that no time was given to the victims before razing their homes leaving them homeless. This carelessness on the part of the authorities made the entire process unjust.
The judges who gave the verdict said that they were shocked by the manner in which the entire episode took place within 24 hours of the notice period. The court ordered that compensation is the last resort to correct this wrong already committed in the past. “That is the only way to do this. So that this authority will always remember to follow due process“, the court reiterated.
The plea to the Supreme Court was submitted by the victims after being rejected by the Allahabad High Court. While the demolitions took place without a proper timeline the properties were demolished as the land of the individuals was linked to gangster Atiq Ahmed who was killed in 2023.
