DDA postpones demolition drive in Majnu Ka Tila
New Delhi, Jul 13: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has deferred the demolition drive on the Yamnua flood plain near the Majnu Ka Tila gurdwara, sources said on Saturday.
According to a senior police officer, a demolition drive was conducted at Khyber Pass near Civil Lines to remove encroachment on Saturday.
Some temporary structures which were illegally made on the lands of Land and Development Office were demolished, police said.
Dharamveer Solanki, a Pakistani refugee who lives in Majnu Ka Tila area, said the demolition party was yet to reach his area.
"The DDA are yet to reach Majnu ka Tila. They have started the demolition near Vidhan Sabha area," Solanki said.
The DDA had in a public notice on Thursday said it will undertake a demolition drive in the area on July 13 and 14.
People in Majnu Ka Tila, where there is a sizable population of Pakistani Hindus, said they received the notice from the land owning agency late Thursday evening asking them to vacate the area by Friday.
The notice referred to the National Green Tribunal's April 3 order and the Delhi High Court's March 12 order behind the move.
"In the compliance of order, it is proposed to organise a demolition drive against the encroachment in the river Yamuna flood plain area near south of Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tila (Western Bank) on Saturday and Sunday," the DDA notice read.
The affected families can take temporary harbour at Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) shelters, it had said.
"Hence, the residents of the area are hereby requested to vacate the area by July 12 otherwise they will be self-responsible for any loss due to demolition drive against the encroachment on July 13 or later," the notice stated.
In its April 3 order, the NGT had said that the status report filed by the DDA did not disclose any substantial effective steps by the agency for removing the encroachment from the area.
The NGT asked the agency to file a compliance report at least one week before the next date of hearing, which is July 15, by e-mail.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, some refugees living in Majnu Ka Tila were given citizenship certificates under the Citizenship Amendment Act.
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'Godman' Kharat held in 8th sexual exploitation case; court denies police remand, sends him to jail
Nashik (PTI): Police took custody of self-proclaimed godman-cum-astrologer Ashok Kharat in an eighth case related to sexual exploitation of women and produced him before a Nashik district court which sent him to jail till May 12 after rejecting the plea for his police remand on Thursday.
On April 29, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police in north Maharashtra filed a request application in the court demanding Kharat's custody in the eighth case.
After the court granted them the necessary permission, the SIT took custody of Kharat, who was in jail in connection with the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
The 'godman', named in a dozen FIRs related to rape and financial fraud, was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate B N Ichpurani in the eighth case through video conferencing due to security reasons.
The eighth case related to Kharat allegedly sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems, according to police.
During the hearing, the prosecution demanded police custody of the accused in the latest case.
However, the defence strongly opposed the demand and argued that the SIT was giving same reasons for police custody every time and there was no strong reason for accepting their plea.
The court accepted the argument put forth by the defence and remanded Kharat to judicial custody till May 12 in the eighth case.
The SIT will produce Kharat in the court on Friday again and seek his police custody in the ninth case. As the self-styled godman has been granted judicial custody in the eighth case, he will be sent to Nashik Road Central Jail and the SIT will take his custody from there.
Meanwhile, Kharat's judicial custody in the fourth case ended on Thursday. On April 18, the accused was remanded to judicial custody till April 30 in the fourth case of sexual exploitation of women.
In a related development, the SIT conducted a search at Kharat's office in the 'Canada Corner' area of Nashik city on Wednesday. A 'panchnama' (record of search and seizure proceedings) was conducted and the office was locked and sealed again.
Kharat, a well-heeled man with political connections, was arrested for the first time on March 18 after a woman alleged he had repeatedly raped her for three years.
He is accused of sexually exploiting several women by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic, and also committing large-scale financial fraud.
The SIT is conducting a probe into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against the astrologer in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.
