UP Illegal Bulldozing Case: IAS Among 26 Booked For Demolishing Journalist's Home In Maharajganj

Following the Supreme Court's order, the Uttar Pradesh government has charged 26 individuals, including officials and contractors, with the illegal demolition of a house in Maharajganj.

Bulldozer in action (Representative image).

Source : PTI

The Uttar Pradesh government has taken swift action following a stern directive from the Supreme Court concerning the illegal demolition of a house in Maharajganj. An FIR has been lodged against 26 individuals, including the then District Magistrate, IAS and IPS officers, engineers, and contractors. The case will be investigated by the CBCID.

On November 6, a bench headed by then-Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued guidelines regarding the demolition of houses for road expansion. The ruling came in response to the unlawful demolition of journalist Manoj Tibrewal's ancestral home in Maharajganj. The Supreme Court found that on September 13, 2019, the house was demolished without prior land acquisition, notice, or an opportunity for the occupants to remove their belongings.

The court ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to pay an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the petitioner and directed disciplinary action against the officials involved within a month. The court also sought the filing of criminal cases against those responsible for the illegal act.

In compliance with the Supreme Court's directive, an FIR was registered on Monday, December 30, at the Maharajganj Kotwali police station. The complaint, filed by the state’s Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and the Director General of Police (DGP), names IAS and PCS officers, engineers from NHAI and PWD, municipal officials, police inspectors, sub-inspectors, LIU inspectors, and contractors.

Key accused include Amar Nath Upadhyay, the then District Magistrate of Maharajganj, and Kunja Bihari Agrawal, the then Sub-Divisional Magistrate. The FIR invokes multiple sections of the IPC, including 147 (rioting), 166 (public servant disobeying law), 167 (wrongful act by public servant), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 506 (criminal intimidation), 427 (mischief), 452 (house-trespass), 342 (wrongful confinement), 336 (endangering life), 355 (assault), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged documents), and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

The charges include serious offences such as document tampering, fraud, assault, and issuing threats. If convicted, the offenders can get punishments ranging from 10 years’ imprisonment to life sentences.