Prayagraj, Oct 4 The Allahabad High Court will hear a plea on Saturday challenging the demolition drive against illegal construction in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal.
The petition named the state government, the District Magistrate, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Sambhal, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), the Tehsildar, and the village council of Gosulbara Ravan Buzurg as parties.
On Dussehra, the district administration in Sambhal launched a major demolition drive against encroachments, bringing down a mosque and a marriage hall built on government land in Rawa Buzurg village.
The operation, carried out on October 2, turned the area into a heavy security zone. Nearly 200 police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel were deployed. Drones were also used to monitor the exercise in real time.
According to SDM Vikas Chandra, the marriage hall had been constructed on land recorded as a government pond.
"The village has two government records -- plot number 691 designated for a pond and plot number 459 earmarked as a compost pit. The hall stood on pond land, and hence it has been demolished," he said.
The administration also served notice to a mosque that had come up on compost pit land in the same village.
However, after representatives of the mosque management committee requested four days' time, the administration granted a temporary moratorium.
"The committee members themselves have agreed to remove the illegal structures voluntarily, in consultation with the District Magistrate. This cooperation will help avoid any law-and-order situation," an official said.
District Magistrate Rajender Pensia said the action was taken strictly in accordance with legal provisions.
"There was a 2,310 square metre pond here that had been encroached upon. We are only implementing the Tehsildar Court's order under Section 67. Our team, along with police and revenue officials, carried out the demolition today under proper supervision," he clarified.
Sambhal's Superintendent of Police (SP) Krishna Kumar Bishnoi said adequate time had already been given to the encroachers.
"They were served notices and given 30 days to remove illegal encroachments. Since they failed to act, the administration was compelled to take action," the SP said.
"We are cooperating with the administration to ensure peace and harmony in the area," the committee said in a statement.
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