Delhi HC tells MCD not to demolish homes of Uttam Nagar murder accused

The Delhi High Court orally directed the MCD to halt any demolition action against the homes of those accused in the Uttam Nagar Holi murder case. The court also instructed the petitioners to file a new, focused plea on the demolition issue.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday orally asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi not to undertake any demolition action against the homes of persons accused in the murder of a 26-year-old man during Holi celebrations in Uttam Nagar.

Justice Amit Bansal also directed the petitioners to withdraw their present petitions and file fresh pleas confined only to the issue of proposed demolition by the civic body.

Court Finds Petitions Vague, Directs Refiling

During the hearing, the Court observed that the petitions contained vague averments and raised multiple causes of action, including issues relating to the police investigation in the murder case, which could not be examined in the present proceedings.

"It is pointed out that averments in the petition are vague and a separate cause of action is made. The petitioners seek liberty to withdraw the petition and file a better one within a week," the Court directed.

The Court clarified that the scope of the case before it was limited to examining whether demolition action by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was being undertaken in accordance with due process of law and the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court.

Accordingly, the petitioners were granted liberty to withdraw the existing petitions and file fresh ones with better particulars within a week, restricting their challenge to the issue of demolition.

Case Background and Police Appeal for Peace

The matter arises from petitions filed by family members of persons accused in the Uttam Nagar Holi clash case, who had approached the High Court seeking protection of their residential properties from alleged arbitrary demolition by civic authorities following the registration of a murder case.

Meanwhile, Dwarka District Police earlier appealed to citizens to maintain peace and harmony in view of the recent incident in Uttam Nagar and urged people not to trust or forward rumours and unverified information circulating on social media.

In an official appeal, Dwarka District Police asked the public to rely only on verified and official updates regarding the matter.

Earlier on March 4, a dispute reportedly broke out over a balloon, which later escalated into a violent altercation at Delhi's Uttam Nagar. During the altercation, a 26-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death during Holi. (ANI)

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