Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court on Friday held a hearing in the Gir Somnath bulldozer case in Gujarat. During this period, the Supreme Court refused to pass any order. The Supreme Court said it was government land. A bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Vishwanathan said that till further orders, the ownership of the land will remain with the government and will not be allotted to any third party.
Kapil Sibal, arguing on behalf of the Muslim party, said these are protected monuments. No third party rights. In this regard, Judge Gavai said, what are the rights of third parties? This is government land. The High Court has taken notice of the matter. Sibal says this is defiance of your order. Sibal said the reason given for the demolition was that the monuments were close to the Arabian Sea and could not be near water bodies. Protected monuments were demolished. Can you imagine even though you have an order?
Reacting to Sibal’s argument, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said there was no protected monument. Justice Gawai said the high court order was passed in 2015. You can only use the land for its stated purposes. Earlier, the Supreme Court had said that if our orders are violated, then these officials will be sent to jail. The Gujarat High Court also refused to pass an order maintaining the status quo.
SC records SG’s statement in order
The SG said that until further orders, the ownership of the land will remain with the government and will not be allotted to any third party. In such circumstances, we do not think it necessary to pass any interim order. Actually,
Contempt petition filed in SC
On September 28, the Gir Somnath government bulldozed some Muslim places of worship, houses and graves. In this regard, a contempt petition has been filed in the Supreme Court. Demolition work is said to be continuing on a massive scale even after the Supreme Court ordered a halt to bulldozing operations. Contempt action has been sought against the Collector and other officials of Gir Somnath. The entire Patni Muslim congregation has filed a petition against the government’s action.
