The Supreme Court on Friday ordered a “status quo” on the ongoing eviction and demolition drives in Uriamghat and nearby villages of Assam’s Golaghat district, offering temporary relief to over 2,000 Bengali Muslim families who have been living there for decades.
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Atul S. Chandurkar passed the interim order while hearing a plea challenging the Gauhati High Court’s refusal to stop the evictions. The petitioners moved the top court after the High Court dismissed their appeals and upheld the Assam government’s action.
The families told the court that they have lived in the area for more than 70 years and have government-issued documents such as ration cards, electricity bills, and voter IDs to prove their settlement. They argued that the eviction violated the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 as well as their fundamental rights under the Constitution.
The state government defended its action, saying the villages fall inside the Doyang and South Nambar Reserved Forests under the Assam Forest Regulation, 1891. Eviction notices issued in July gave families just seven days to leave.
The Uriamghat drive is part of one of Assam’s biggest eviction operations, aimed at clearing nearly 15,000 bighas (around 4,900 acres) of land. Since June this year, more than 3,500 families across four districts have been removed, leaving nearly 50,000 people displaced.
These operations have often turned violent. In Goalpara district last month, protests against eviction led to police firing that killed a 19-year-old Muslim youth and left several injured, including policemen.
The petitioners told the Supreme Court that earlier rulings had made it clear people cannot be displaced without proper notice, hearing, and rehabilitation. The case will now decide whether the Assam government can continue its eviction drive or must find a different approach for communities that have lived in these areas for generations.
