Ganesh Kendale
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday rebuked Gujarat authorities after nine religious structures were demolished near the Somnath temple. The court warned that if it finds the authorities in contempt of its order banning bulldozer action until October 1, it will direct them to restore the demolished structures.
“If we find that they are in contempt of our order, not only we will be sending them to jail but we will ask them to restore all this,” the bench said.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan asked solicitor general Tushar Mehta to respond to the plea and posted the matter for hearing on October 16.
On September 17, the SC said that bulldozers were being used as a punitive tool and were against the ethos of the Constitution and hence needed to be brought under the ambit of “judicial oversight”. The bench clarified that its order would not prevent authorities from acting against encroachments on roads and public land, allowing for the demolition of structures—religious or otherwise—without prior notice.
On Saturday, the Gir Somnath district administration conducted an anti-encroachment drive behind the Somnath temple, demolishing nine religious structures belonging to a minority community on government land in Prabhas Patan. The operation, which began at 5 AM, involved around 1,400 police personnel under the supervision of SPs from three nearby districts. To maintain order, police used lathi-charges to disperse a large crowd, resulting in approximately 120 detentions. The main market in Prabhas Patan was closed during the 12-hour campaign.
At the earlier hearing on October 1, while reserving its verdict on the case said that it will lay down guidelines for all citizens on the demolition of properties.
“Whatever we are laying down, we are a secular country. We are laying it down for all the citizens, for all the institutions not for any particular community,” the bench had said.
