Demolition of night shelter: Have to now consider question of rehabilitation, says SC
New Delhi (PTI): We will have to now consider the question of rehabilitation, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday after it was informed that a night shelter at Sarai Kale Khan here has been demolished by authorities earlier in the day.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Dipankar Datta, and said the demolition was supposed to start at 10.30 am but the authorities commenced it at 10 am and the night shelter has been demolished.
Bhushan said over 50 people were availing of the night shelter.
When he said that demolition has been done, the bench observed, "Nothing can be done now at this stage. If it is demolished, we have to now consider the question of rehabilitation."
"The urgency element has gone away," the top court said.
Bhushan initially mentioned the matter for urgent hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud.
He told the bench that earlier the matter pertaining to homeless people was heard by a bench of Justices S R Bhat and Dipankar Datta.
The CJI said that Justice Bhat was not available today and granted him liberty to mention the matter before a bench comprising Justice Datta.
Bhushan rushed to the bench headed by Justice Roy which was in the midst of hearing a matter listed before it.
"There is something very urgent that has propped up. I am sorry to interrupt. This is that homeless matter. There is a night shelter," Bhushan told the bench.
The bench said it was in the midst of hearing a matter.
After the hearing in the matter was over, Bhushan mentioned the issue relating to demolition of the night shelter and said the authorities have come there with bulldozers.
"The homeless matter is pending before this court. The issue is about a night shelter for homeless people," he said.
"One night shelter is being demolished right now without providing alternative accommodation. They (authorities) have preponed the demolition. It was supposed to start at 10.30 am but it started at 10 am today," Bhushan told the apex court.
The bench told him to call the counsel for the other side so that the matter can be heard.
Bhushan said he is being informed that demolition at the site has happened.
He told the bench that matter pertaining to homeless people is slated to come up for hearing on February 22 and his application on the issue concerning demolition of night shelter at Sarai Kale Khan be heard on that day.
"We can take it up on that day," the bench observed, while asking Bhushan to incorporate the subsequent developments in the matter.
The Delhi Police recently asked the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to shift the night shelter at Sarai Kale Khan before the scheduled G20 summit in September amid concerns that it is being used by criminals and miscreants, officials had said on Tuesday.
Started in 2014 on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land, the night shelter was located near the Sarai Kale Khan light traffic signal and could accommodate 54 people.
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Accused gunman at correspondents' dinner was believed to be targeting top officials, Blanche says
Washington (AP): The accused gunman who tried to storm the ballroom at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner with guns and knives travelled across the country before the event and is believed to have been targeting members of the Trump administration, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday.
Blanche also said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington, where in recent days he checked in as a guest to the hotel where one of Washington's glitziest events was being held Saturday night.
Investigators have not publicly named the suspect, but two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter have identified him to The Associated Press as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California.
Law enforcement officials who have examined the gunman's electronic devices and his writings preliminarily believe he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner. He attempted to charge into the cavernous ballroom at the Washington Hilton but was tackled to the ground in a chaotic scene that resulted in shots being fired, President Donald Trump being hurried off the stage and guests ducking for cover beneath their tables.
“It does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” Blanche told NBC's “Meet the Press.”
The suspect is believed to have purchased the firearms he carried within the last couple of years, Blanche said. He is not being cooperative and is expected to face multiple charges on Monday.
Video posted by Trump showed the suspect running past security barricades as Secret Service agents ran toward him. One officer was shot in a bullet-resistant vest but was recovering, officials said. The gunman was taken into custody and was not injured, but was being evaluated at a hospital, police said.
“He failed,” Blanche said on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “Law enforcement did their jobs.”
Social media posts that appear to match the suspect show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.
A May 2025 profile photo of Allen appears to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted Saturday night by Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master's degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Allen earned a bachelor's degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He listed his involvement there in a Christian student fellowship and a campus group that battled with Nerf guns.
The shooting at the security barricades happened minutes after the event got underway.
The Secret Service and other authorities swarmed the room as guests ducked under tables by the hundreds. Gasps echoed through the ballroom as guests realized something was happening. Hundreds of journalists immediately got on phones to call in information.
“Out of the way, sir!” someone yelled. Others yelled to duck. From one corner, a “God Bless America” chant began as the president was escorted offstage. Outside the hotel, members of the National Guard and other authorities flooded the area as helicopters circled overhead.
After an initial attempt to resume the event, it was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled.
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