Supreme Court Disposes Of Plea On Mathura Demolition, Directs Petitioner To Pursue Relief In Civil Court

The Supreme Court took action on Monday regarding a plea connected to the demolition effort aimed at clearing allegedly illegal structures near Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The court directed the petitioner to pursue relief through the civil court, citing pending suits initiated by the land occupants. Justice Aniruddha Bose, leading the bench, emphasized that the relief sought should be addressed through a legal suit, thus concluding the writ petition while allowing the petitioner the opportunity to seek remedy through the appropriate channel, PTI reported.

Previously, the Supreme Court had temporarily halted the demolition drive by the railways on August 16, maintaining a status quo for a span of 10 days. Despite a request for an extension of this interim order, the bench declined, urging the petitioner to utilize the available legal avenues. The court highlighted that parallel proceedings were not admissible, considering the pending suits in the civil court. The Supreme Court clarified that it had not commented on the merits of the case, leaving all aspects for determination by the civil court.

During the August 16 hearing, the court stated that there would be a status quo on the subject premises for ten days, with the case scheduled for a follow-up on August 25. However, on the latter date, the Supreme Court refused to extend the interim order and established a new hearing date for August 28. The petitioner's counsel had informed the court on August 16 that a significant number of houses had already been demolished, and expressed concern that the ongoing proceedings might render the entire matter irrelevant.