Gujarat HC rejects Chandola talav residents' plea against state govt's demolitions: ‘In interest of national security', state argued
The petition had been filed by about 23 residents of Siasat Nagar in the Chandola talav area, even as bulldozers and dumpers closed in for the operation.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Gujarat Advocate General Kamal Trivedi said, 'We have submitted that it is in the wake of the Pahalgam incident, it was a matter of national security and people's safety… A lot of anti-social activities are going on in the (Chandola) area. These people are illegal (Bangladeshi) immigrants who have occupied the area. It was not a simple anti-encroachment drive, in which case, it could have been done earlier by the (Ahmedabad) civic body. There was sensitive information for which we wanted to be doubly sure…. Public safety and security are paramount. Therefore the expedition was undertaken. Our reply mentioned that it was an issue of national security and dealing with illegal immigrants.'
Advocate Anand Yagnik, who represented the petitioners, contended that the demolitions were 'unconstitutional and illegal', as they were in 'violation' of the Supreme Court directive to issue notices of eviction and grant sufficient time to residents, even in cases of encroachment.
Yagnik said, 'There may be Bangladeshi nationals among the residents of the area, one does not deny that. But, these immigrants should be sent back as per the process of law, with orders of the Foreigners' Tribunal with dignity and respect… But, by the way, in the last four days, the state government of Gujarat has picked up 1200-1500 people by tagging them as Bangladeshis, and also released 90% people as they were found to be Indian nationals and not Bangladeshis… Now, in a demolition drive, the authorities are also bulldozing the homes of those who have not been found to be Bangladeshi nationals… In case the investigation confirms that there are any illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, action can be initiated as per law.'
Yagnik also said that even if the residents were found to be illegally living in the said area, the Gujarat state government's policy for rehabilitation of slums would apply to those residing in the area since before 2010. 'Those Indian nationals from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh who have fled out of fear and locked their homes in Chandola and around… their homes are being demolished. Some of these people have been living here for the last 60 years,' he said.
The petition had termed the action as 'illegal and unconstitutional' as no alternate arrangement for rehabilitation had been made before evicting the people. Yagnik said, 'If they have to be evicted for any other reason, the Supreme Court direction has to be followed by serving an eviction notice… The government is being run out of police stations… No court in India has confirmed any of these people as non-Indians.'
Soon after the Gujarat HC rejected the plea seeking stay, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi took to X and said that 'Congress sympathisers' were trying to 'protect Bangladeshis and Pakistanis'. Sanghavi said on X, 'Justice served! Gujarat HC rejects Congress sympathisers' petition against govt's action on illegal migrants. Their agenda to protect Bangladeshis/Pakistanis has been foiled.'
When contacted, Dr Manish Doshi, Spokesperson of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) told this newspaper that by 'blaming' the Congress party, which had not come out in support of illegal immigrants, the BJP was 'trying to hide its own failure'.
Doshi said, 'For the last 30 years, in Gujarat and in the AMC, BJP has been in power… It has been 11 years since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Central Government… Under whose watch have these illegal settlements come up? Under the UPA I and UPA II led by former PM Dr Manmohan Singh, 82,000 Bangladeshis were deported… The Modi government has deported 18,000 Bangladeshis in 11 years. The BJP likes to create a hullabaloo and not actually take action. They should be apologizing to the people of Ahmedabad, Gujarat and India.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
‘Undeclared emergency@11': Farooq Abdullah calls BJP's rule ‘dangerous', will fight for Indian democracy
Delhi | National Conference president Farooq Abdullah says, "...They talk of Indira Gandhi's emergency. That only lasted for 18 months. This (emergency) has been going on for 11 years. I hope it ends. And I hope people in the Parliament will fight for Indian democracy. That's all I want..." Show more Show less
The Hindu
13 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Kerala will bear land acquisition cost of Sabari Rail project: Minister tells Parliament
Clearing the ambiguity over the financing of the Sabari Rail project, the Union Railway Ministry has made it clear that Kerala will acquire the land required for the project using the State share, ie 50% of the project cost. The State government has agreed to acquire land using its share of 50% of the project cost. Once land acquisition by the State started, work on the project could be taken forward, said Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in reply to a question in Parliament on Wednesday. To a specific question whether the Union government had any plans to extend the railway line to Thiruvananthapuram to connect the Vizhinjam International Seaport, the Minister made it clear that there was no relation between the Sabarimala rail project and the Vizhinjam International Seaport. There had been ambiguity regarding sharing the cost of the project as the State had been maintaining that the liability incurred by it by financing the project through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) should be fully exempted from the State's borrowing limit. The Union government then suggested a tripartite agreement to implement the project, involving the State government, the Ministry of Railways, and the Reserve Bank of India. However, in the memorandum submitted by the Kerala government to the Railway Minister on June 3, the State government made it clear that it would not agree to enter into a tripartite agreement as suggested by the Union government. High-level committee During a meeting between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Mr. Vaishnaw in June, the Union Minister had promised that a high-level committee from the Railway ministry would visit the project site in July as part of reviving the project. However, the committee had not yet visited Kerala, though the State government had directed District Collectors of Ernakulam, Idukki, and Kottayam to restore the land acquisition units and to finalise the revised alignment of the railway line to speed up implementation of the project, said government sources. As per the revised estimate, the project will cost ₹3,810.69 crore. The 110-km Angamaly-Erumely route was first announced in the 1997-98 Railway Budget. Land acquisition had been completed in 8 km, while the work on the 7-km stretch between Angamaly and Kalady was completed earlier.
The Hindu
13 minutes ago
- The Hindu
State Minorities Commission taking efforts to get land for cemeteries, kabristans: Chairman
State Minorities Commission would take efforts to acquire land for setting up cemeteries for Christians and kabristans for Muslims, said its Chairman S.J. Joe Arun. Speaking at an interactive session with members of minority communities here on Wednesday, Mr. Arun, in the presence of Virudhunagar Collector, N.O, Sukhaputra, said that land for cemeteries and kabristans was the major demand from the minorities. He said that participants at the meeting raised several issues like permission and recognition for schools run by minorities, demands from individuals like welfare assistance and bank loans. However, the Collector and the Superintendent of Police found instant solution for more than 70% of the issues on the spot. Mr. Arun said that the commission was mandated to protect the rights of not just the religious minorities, but also linguistic minorities. The Commission was reviewing whether the welfare assistances stipulated under the Constitution reached the minorities. Stating that the commission has so far conducted interactive session at 24 districts, including Virudhunagar district, he said that it would give recommendations to the State Government for protecting the minorities and improve their livelihood based on the demands raised by the people. The commission reviewed the progress made in various welfare schemes meant for the minorities. The content of a booklet on Welfare Schemes and Concessions for Minorities in Tamil Nadu would be accessed through Virudhunagar SP D. Kannan, District Revenue Officer R. Rajendran, Deputy Director, Minorities Welfare Department, Chennai, S. Sharmili, Vice-Chairman of the commission M.M. Abdul Kuthoos and its members were present.
