Prophet remarks row: SC to hear plea against UP demolitions today

The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear the plea by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind seeking appropriate direction from the Uttar Pradesh government to ensure that no further demolitions are carried out without following due process of law.

In the plea, moved against the backdrop of the ongoing row over comments on the Prophet and subsequent demolition drives, the Jamiat Ulama sought directions to initiate action against those officials concerned responsible for the houses allegedly demolished in violation of the rule of law and the municipal laws enacted by the state.

"Today, the petitioners have filed two interim petitions in the Supreme Court of India. The apex court had on April 21 issued notices to Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, and Delhi, including the state of Uttar Pradesh, seeking their response to the bulldozer demolition operation.

"A division bench of Justice A.S. Bopanna and Justice Vikaram Nath will hear the matter tomorrow and senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan will appear for Jamiat," said a statement of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind.

The plea stated that the present situation is more alarming as the Supreme Court had already ordered a stay of demolitions that were being carried out as a punitive measure in northwest Delhi in similar circumstances. "It is a violation of the orders of the Supreme Court", it read.

Incidents of violence and slogan-shouting were reported from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj and Saharanpur on Friday (June 10) after prayers when people began protesting against former BJP spokespersons' remarks on the Prophet.

On Sunday, bulldozers, now a symbol of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's crackdown on anti-social elements, reached the residence of Mohammad Javed, a.k.a. Javed Pump, who has been identified as the main conspirator behind the violence that erupted in the city on June 10.

The Prayagraj Development Authority had served notice to demolish the house that was allegedly built without getting the requisite permissions.