Delhi: CM said no slum would be razed, then why bulldozer action in Bhoomiheen camp, asks Atishi
New Delhi (PTI): Senior AAP leader Atishi on Wednesday asked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta why slums were being demolished in Delhi's Bhoomiheen camp despite her saying days ago that none would be razed.
Authorities launched a demolition drive in the Bhoomiheen camp in southeast Delhi's Govindpuri on Wednesday morning, amid heavy police deployment.
Over 300 jhuggis built on government land in Govindpuri will be demolished, an official said.
In a post on X, Atishi, also the leader of opposition in the Delhi Assembly, said, "BJP's bulldozer started running in the Bhoomiheen camp from 5 am in the morning. (Delhi Chief Minister) Rekha Gupta -- you said three days ago that not even a single slum would be demolished, then why are bulldozers running on the Bhoomiheen camp?"
Wednesday's action comes days after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) pasted eviction notices on houses in the jhuggi-jhopri camp, warning "encroachers" to leave the spot within three days, or face action.
The camp, where most residents are migrant workers, has seen demolition drives thrice in the past year -- in May and June this year and July 2023.
Atishi on Tuesday visited the Bhoomiheen camp. While the AAP claimed she was detained during her visit to meet the residents of the area, police denied it.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Sunday that the authorities cannot go against demolition orders issued by the courts and stressed that the displaced residents have been provided accommodation.
Her remarks came amid criticism from the AAP over the razing of the Madrasi Camp slum cluster near Barapullah in south Delhi and similar demolition drives in other parts of the city.
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SC to hear on May 4 PIL seeking stringent guidelines for issuing Aadhaar to adolescents, adults
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking a direction to the Unique Identification Authority of India to issue new Aadhaar cards only to citizens up to the age of six years, and frame stringent guidelines for its issuance to adolescents and adults to stop infiltrators from masquerading as Indian citizens.
As per the apex court's causelist of May 4, the plea would come up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay has also sought a direction to the authorities to install display boards at common service centres stating that the 12-digit unique identification number is only a "proof of identity" and not a proof of citizenship, address or date of birth.
Besides all the states and Union Territories, the plea has made the UIDAI -- which is the authority that issues Aadhaar -- and the Union ministries of home, law and justice, and electronics and information technology as parties.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, said Aadhaar, originally intended as a proof of identity, has increasingly become a "foundational document" enabling individuals to obtain other identification documents, such as ration cards, domicile certificates and voter identity cards.
"The UIDAI has issued 144 crore Aadhaar and 99 percent Indians have been enrolled. Therefore, the petitioner is filing this writ petition as a PIL under Article 32, seeking a direction to UIDAI to issue new Aadhaar to children only and frame new stringent guidelines for adolescents and adults, so as to stop infiltrators from getting it and masquerading as Indian citizens," the plea said.
It said the need to file the plea arose when the petitioner came to know the manner in which infiltrators are able to procure Aadhaar through a verification process that is weak and can be easily manipulated.
"Foreigners apply for Aadhaar under the 'foreign' category. But infiltrators apply for Aadhaar under the 'Indian citizen' category and get it easily made. Thereafter, they obtain a ration card, birth and domicile certificate, driving licence, et cetera, essentially becoming indistinguishable from Indian citizens…," it said.
Besides seeking other directions, the plea has raised legal questions, including whether the Aadhaar Act 2016 has become "temporally unreasonable" for failing to keep up with the legislative intent of distinguishing foreigners from Indian citizens.
It said the alleged misuse of Aadhaar undermines targeted welfare delivery and leads to diversion of public resources.
