By Scroll Staff
The Uttarakhand High Court has stayed the demolition of a house belonging to a 73-year-old man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Nainital, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
A bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Alok Mahra issued the order on December 12 on a petition filed by the wife of the man accused in the case. “Demolition action shall be stayed till the passing of the winter season,” The Indian Express reported the bench as saying.
The bench directed the District Level Development Authority to file its response by January 5, PTI reported.
The man accused of the crime, identified as Usman, worked as a contractor and allegedly raped the minor on April 12 after luring her with money. The girl narrated the incident to her family on April 20, after which they approached the police.
Subsequently, a first information report was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and he was arrested.
After the incident came to light, communal clashes also broke out in the resort town.
On May 1, the Nainital municipal authorities issued a demolition notice asking Usman to remove allegedly illegal structures from his home within three days or face action. The authorities claimed that the alleged structures encroached “Nagar Palika/government land/forest land”.
Several other persons in the area where the house was located also received the notice.
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