Picture : Twitter/ ANI
While, pausing the Uttarakhand High Court’s direction that encroachment on 29 acres of Railways land be removed in Haldwani, The Supreme Court said “Cannot uproot 50,000 people in seven days.”
As per ANI report, The top court also sought a reply from the Railways and the Uttarakhand government after residents contested the 20 December high court order. Calling it a “human issue,” the apex court said a “practical solution” needed to be found.
The next hearing in the case will be on 7 February.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S. Oka took exception Thursday to the Uttarakhand High Court’s order that the encroachment be removed in seven days.
Following that order, authorities had issued an eviction notice that affected over 4,000 families who said they had been living in the area for decades. They also claimed to possess documents recognised by government authorities.
Reacting to the SC order, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said in a report by ANI that the government would proceed according to the Supreme Court’s order staying a December 20 direction of the Uttarakhand High Court which had directed eviction of thousands of families occupying railway land in Haldwani district within a week.
Judgement of SC will protect human rights. We all were worried about demolition rendering 52,000 people homeless. SC stayed the demolition. In 2016, we took steps regarding the rehabilitation of the people, Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat told ANI on SC order on Haldwani eviction
