By Scroll Staff
An under-construction house linked to the main accused person in the killing of a 26-year-old man in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar on Holi was partially demolished by the municipal corporation on Monday, before the Delhi High Court temporarily halted further action, Bar and Bench reported.
The civic body has claimed that the demolition was part of a routine drive against unauthorised construction, the Hindustan Times reported.
However, the Delhi High Court restrained the civic body from taking any further coercive action against the property of the accused person for 10 days, Bar and Bench reported.
Justice Amit Bansal granted one week to the family of the accused man to approach the Municipal Corporation of Delhi Appellate Tribunal and challenge the demolition order.
The plea before the court was filed by the daughter of the accused man, Ismail, who has been in Tihar Jail since March 5 in connection with the killing of the man on Holi.
The daughter, Shehnaz, argued that the demolition was being carried out without giving the family an adequate opportunity to be heard and alleged that the action was punitive in nature.
“What I have done is exactly what is there in every building,” Bar and Bench quoted her as saying. “I am being picked and chosen, the whole locality is identical.”
The court has directed the civic body to respond to the petition.
On March 4, a man named Tarun Bhutolia died after being severely injured in a clash during Holi celebrations. The clash began when a water balloon accidentally thrown by an 11-year-old girl from the third floor of a building fell on a Muslim woman standing below.
The incident had led to an argument between the two neighbouring families from different religious communities.
The 26-year-old’s killing had sparked tensions in the area. Several vehicles were damaged and some were set on fire during protests by residents, following which police and paramilitary personnel were deployed.
This story was originally published in scroll.in. Read the full story here.
