NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court stayed demolition of small, illegal retail shops in the wake of communal violence in New Delhi, shortly after civil authorities began tearing down the structures under protection of police and security forces.
The drive to demolish the properties came four days after violence there during a Hindu religious procession.
A three-judge bench of the top court, headed by the Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, ordered that the status quo should be maintained in the case until the next hearing, slated for Thursday.
The petitioner to the court said the municipal authorities had not alerted the local shopkeepers before the razing operation.
The civil authority leading the demolition, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Local police and members of the paramilitary forces, all of whom report to the federal home ministry, were present on Wednesday in Jahangirpuri, a residential area about 25km (14 miles) from the Indian Parliament. – Agencies
Indian court stays demolition of shops in sensitive area of New Delhi
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