Plea in SC seeks court-monitored SIT into Khargone properties demolition

A petition has been moved in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) for free and fair investigation of the factum in the exercise of demolition of several properties at Khargone in Madhya Pradesh after the violent incident that took place on April 10.

The petitioners said that their grievance is that the concerned authorities are guilty of negligence and inaction which triggered the violence and targeted the present petitioners' businesses, houses, and establishments by illegally and arbitrarily running bulldozers on their properties.

Hence, the petition moved by Raziya Mansoori and others sought compensation and reconstruction of the properties and establishments of the petitioners.

Advocate Adeel Ahmed, who has moved the petition on behalf of the petitioners, urged the court for the constitution of an SIT for fair investigation of the case and for strict action to be taken against officials of the State machinery who have participated in the illegal exercise of demolition of properties of the petitioners.

"The present Writ arises from incidents of sporadic violence that had erupted in Madhya Pradesh. The local administration in Madhya Pradesh has demolished several properties of the petitioners herein on the pretext or misconceived surmise that they were associated with alleged suspects of the Ram Navami violence in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, "read the petition.

According to the petition, allegedly, three areas of Madhya Pradesh's Khargone saw reports of stone-pelting and arson during Ram Navami processions on April 10, and apparently, as many as 80 people have been arrested.

"Meanwhile, on April 11, bulldozers, on orders of the respondents rammed into shops and buildings - most of them allegedly owned by these petitioners in Khargone and Sendhwa Tehsil, which is an administrative subdivision (tehsil or tahsil) in Barwani District, Madhya Pradesh (state) of India," the petition stated.

Hence, the petitioner sought a court-monitored SIT headed by the retired Judge of the Court for free and fair investigation of the factum.

The petition also sought a strict action to be taken against officials of the state machinery who have participated in the illegal exercise of demolition of properties of the present Petitioners as a punitive measure.

The petitioners have also sought to issue direction to the authorities concerned to reconstruct their houses, shops, and other establishments, which according to them, were illegally and arbitrarily demolished by the respondents after the communal violence that took place on April 10 in parts of Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh and urged to pay compensation to the petitioners.

"Issue a writ of continuing mandamus or any other appropriate writ or orders to the respondents towards the protection of the rights of Petitioners who are victims of communal violence under articles 14, 15, and 21 of the Constitution of India," the petitioners urged.

They further requested the court to issue a direction restraining the respondents, their agents, assignees, and anyone acting on their behalf from demolishing any further houses and properties of the Petitioners who have been suspected to be involved in the violence that took place in the Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.

( With inputs from ANI )