The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the Amethi administration razing the house of District Bar Association general secretary Uma Shanker Mishra without giving him adequate time to challenge the demolition order.
The court directed the administration to maintain the status quo on the site and not to coerce members of the bar association. It also asked the state counsel to obtain detailed instructions on the matter, fixing the next hearing on Wednesday itself.
A bench of Justice D K Upadhyay and Justice Saurabh Srivastava passed the order on a PIL moved by Amethi District Bar Association.
The bench prima facie held that the SDM Gauriganj had no right under Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act to review his earlier order whereby concerned land was exchanged between the general secretary and the land management committee of his village.
It was alleged in the PIL that the administration of Amethi was coercing members of the bar association in the district.
The SDM reviewed his earlier order passed on May 16, 2015, whereby the land management committee of his village had exchanged some land, on which the general secretary later constructed his house, and cancelled the exchange one-sided.
Immediately thereafter, the SDM ensured that the said changed entries were made in the revenue records. As soon as the entries were made, the SDM rushed to the site and demolished the general secretary's house by use of heavy machinery, without even affording him an adequate opportunity of hearing or providing him time for challenging his order before an appropriate court, alleged the PIL.
