Razing bulldozer justice

Apex court underlines the need for due process

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The Supreme Court has underlined its aversion to "bulldozer justice" by describing the Prayagraj Development Authority's move to bulldoze the homes of six private citizens in 2021 "inhumane and illegal" and ordering the institution to pay each house owner ₹10 lakh as compensation.

Although the incident linked to this April 1 judgment by a two-judge Bench predates the apex court's November 2024 order (by a separate Bench) issuing binding directives for states to follow in bulldozing properties, it builds on it by strengthening the edifice of the law in this regard.

Choosing not to comment on the issue of land encroachment that allegedly prompted the demolitions, the Bench, comprising judges Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, was unequivocal in describing the move by the Prayagraj authority as illegal and invoked the petitioners' fundamental right to shelter as a basic feature of the Constitution.