BENGALURU: The High Court on Monday directed the state government to come out with a comprehensive scheme within a month for the rehabilitation of the residents of shanties which had been demolished at Bellandur recently.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Hemant Chandangoudar also directed the government to identify the affected people and provide them with immediate assistance within two weeks.
The bench which was hearing a public interest litigation filed by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties-Karnataka against the demolition asked the government to specify how it would identify the affected people. It also said the petitioner could submit a list of the affected people to the deputy commissioner concerned.
“In the last order, we noted that a large number of shanties were removed. This is not a case where state made an inquiry and came to the conclusion that the residents of the shanties were illegal immigrants. As all began with a notice issued by the police, the state should take the responsibility. A large number of shanties were removed in violation of the Article 21 of the Constitution”, the bench said.
It also noted that both state government and the BBMP contended that they had not demolished the shanties and the court already rejected the contention of the land owners that the residents of the shanties vacated the premises on their own after the polite request.
Inspector suspended
In response to details sought by the court about the action taken against Marathahalli police inspector for usurping the powers of the civil court by issuing a public eviction notice to the owners of the land on which the shanties were constructed, government advocate V Sreenidhi said the officer has been suspended, pending a departmental inquiry.
The police inspector had issued the notice without visiting or inspecting the site following a complaint that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants stayed in the shanties.