In a sharp rebuke to the growing trend of “bulldozer justice,” the Supreme Court called out the Gujarat Khedha municipality for threatening to demolish a family home co-owned by a man accused of trespassing. The court made it clear that collective punishment and indiscriminate demolitions have no place in a nation governed by law.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and SVN Bhatti underscored that the alleged involvement of an individual in a crime doesn’t justify punishing the rest of the family or razing their legally built property. The case, still in its early stages, has not yet proven any wrongdoing in court.
The court expressed its concern, warning that allowing such actions would be akin to running “a bulldozer over the laws of the land.” The Gujarat government has been asked to respond to the case within four weeks, with the status of the property remaining untouched until further notice.
The petitioner, a co-owner of the property where his family has lived for over two decades, argued that the threat came soon after a criminal complaint was filed against him. His counsel emphasized that such municipal overreach threatens the foundational principles of justice.
Earlier, the Court had already signaled its disapproval of demolishing homes merely because the occupants are accused of crimes, indicating that guidelines would soon be introduced to halt this troubling pattern.
