The NDMC said the petitioners had misrepresented that the properties were demolished without giving notice and that this was done selectively targeting a particular religion “with a view to create a prejudice and to achieve some other object”.Stating that its anti-encroachment drive in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri was carried out in compliance with directions of the Delhi High Court, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has accused the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and others, who approached the Supreme Court against this, of “giving it an unwarranted communal colour”.
In an affidavit filed before the top court, the NDMC also said that after the status quo order by the court, “in most of the places the position before the exercise has re-occurred” and “those who were removed from the public road have come back and have occupied footpath public road again”.
The NDMC said the petitioners had misrepresented that the properties were demolished without giving notice and that this was done selectively targeting a particular religion “with a view to create a prejudice and to achieve some other object”.
The civic body said the petitioners “have unfortunately attempted to sensationalise a routine administrative exercise by giving it an unwarranted communal colour”. It termed as “unfounded and motivated” the “assertion that a particular religion or community was targeted” and said that “when a road or footpath is cleared, the process goes on from one end to another without any distinction of the religion or owner occupier who has unauthorisedly occupied footpath or public land”.
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The petitioners had contended that the drive was conducted to target Muslims in the wake of riotous incidents following a Hanuman Jayanti shobha yatra on April 16.
The affidavit rejected the charge and this was being done to stall the lawful exercise of powers by the NDMC “by deliberately tendering misleading submissions and by giving it a political colour”. It pointed out that similar drives had been conducted in the same and neighbouring areas even before.
The civic body also said that in PILs before it, the HC had issued various directions for removal of encroachment from the roads and footpaths etc since they curtail the right to freedom of movement of citizens.
About the April 20 drive, it said heaps/sacks of garbage, unauthorised projection on public land, unauthorised temporary structures well beyond the boundary of houses and shops were removed for which no notice is necessary under the provisions of the Delhi municipal Corporation Act, 1957.
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