The Haryana government has asserted that the recent demolition exercise conducted in Nuh and Gurugram does not amount to “ethnic cleansing,” and it has been carried out in accordance with the law. During a hearing before the bench of justice Arun Palli and justice Jagmohan Bansal at the Punjab and Haryana high court, the state’s additional advocate general, Deepak Sabherwal, verbally informed the court that the demolitions were not indicative of “ethnic cleansing.” Sabherwal also requested additional time to provide a written statement backed by compiled data.
However, the bench referred the case back to Chief Justice RS Jha, stating that as a matter of public interest litigation (PIL), it should have been presented before the first division bench as per high court rules. The first division bench is headed by Chief Justice RS Jha, who is currently on leave. The detailed order from the proceedings is still pending.
This development comes after a division bench consisting of justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan took suo motu cognisance of the demolitions on August 7. The bench raised questions about whether the demolitions were an “exercise of ethnic cleansing” by the state and sought clarification from the government regarding advance notices to occupants of the buildings that were demolished.
The demolition initiative commenced in Nuh on August 3, following communal violence that erupted in the district on July 30 during a Hindu religious procession. The violence escalated and spread to neighboring districts, including Gurugram. Authorities targeted around 1,200 properties for demolition on the grounds of encroachments. The high court intervened on August 7, raising concerns about the manner in which the demolitions were carried out.
The matter is set to continue before the chief justice’s bench, with further hearings scheduled for the coming week.
Sources By Agencies
