New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Thursday said that alleged involvement in a crime is not a ground for demolishing properties or a house. The apex court ordered a municipal body in Gujarat to maintain status quo and not threaten to bulldoze the house of an accused in a criminal case. The court said that in a country where the law is supreme, such threats of demolition are unimaginable. The Supreme Court said that it cannot remain oblivious to such actions, which can be seen as bulldozing the laws of the country.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti said, “In a country where government action is governed by the rule of law, a crime committed by a member of a family does not invite action against other members of the family or their legally constructed house. Alleged involvement in a crime is not a ground for demolition of any property.”

'Bulldozing the law'
The Supreme Court said, "The alleged crime should be proved through due legal process in the court. In a country where the law is supreme, the court cannot ignore such vague threats of demolition. Such actions can be seen as running a bulldozer on the law of the country." A three-judge bench issued notice to the Gujarat government and the municipal body of Kathlal in the state's Kheda district on the petition of Javed Ali M Syed requesting protection from the proposed demolition action.

The apex court sought a response
from the state and the municipal body within 4 weeks. The petitioner's lawyer said that an FIR was lodged against a family member on September 1. The lawyer claimed that municipal officials have threatened to bulldoze the petitioner's family's house. The Supreme Court agreed to review the case and listed it after a month.