HC flays 'bulldozer justice'

In a strong judicial retaliation against unlawful 'bulldozer action', the Orissa High Court has ordered the state govt to pay ₹10 lakh compensation, out of which ₹2 lakh is to be recovered from the salary of the concerned tehsildar, for illegally demolishing a structure belonging to a community centre

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Expressing deep concern over the bulldozing of a community hall by an officer of tehsildar rank, the Orissa High Court Wednesday ordered the state government to pay ₹10 lakh compensation to the petitioners. In a sharply worded judgment, Justice SK Panigrahi observed that “in a system governed by law, force must follow reason, not precede it. Where the reverse occurs, the legitimacy of State action begins to erode, and with it, the credi-