The Uttarakhand High Court has put a stop to the demolition of the house of 73-year-old Mohd Usman, who was recently arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Nainital. His arrest had triggered violence and arson in the town on Thursday.
The court was angry with the Nainital district administration, police, and municipal council for sending an illegal encroachment notice to Usman and trying to tear down his house. The notice gave only three days to respond, even though the Supreme Court says at least 15 days must be given.
Usman’s wife, Husan Begum, challenged the notice in court. Her lawyer told the court, “Usman has been living there for 20 years. No notice was ever sent before. And now when he’s in jail, they suddenly want to demolish the house in three days.”
The Nainital Municipal Council admitted in court that it did not follow the Supreme Court’s rules.
The court strongly criticized the officials. Chief Justice G Narender and Justice Ravindra Maithani said, “We are taking this seriously. This is contempt of court. You cannot break the Supreme Court’s order.”
The judges also questioned the police for their failure to control the mob violence after Usman’s arrest. “Where were the senior officers?” the court asked. “Shops were burned. People’s livelihoods were destroyed. Why didn’t the police stop it? What action have you taken against the rioters?”
The court also ordered the officials to give an unconditional apology to Usman’s family and said such actions only add to the chaos and lawlessness.
The next hearing in the case is expected soon, as the High Court continues to monitor the situation.
