HC suspends ADJ Shukla for lying in front of bulldozer to protect ancestral land from acquisition
New Delhi: The Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Sultanpur district court Manoj Kumar Shukla was reportedly suspended by the Allahabad high court on Thursday for allegedly lying down in front of a bulldozer to protect his ancestral land from being acquired by the state government for a development project, reported Live Law.
The UP ADJ Shukla’s land near Basti was taken over by the district administration for the construction of a National Project Hariya-Rajwaha Saryu canal, which was inaugurated by PM Modi last year, reported The Wire.
According to a report by Indian Express, in account of the state irrigation department’s request to the district administration seeking land acquisition, a letter was sent to all the landowners after which the construction works were begun.
It is learned that, among the land acquired by the district administration was a plot of Shukla’s father, Jagdish Prasad Shukla.
“A cheque for the calculated amount (based on the circle rate) was signed and the judge’s father was informed to collect it. He came here, but did not collect the cheque,” said a senior official of the acquisition drive, according to the Indian Express report.
It has been reported that, Shukla was found to be lying down in front of the bulldozer, dressed in his coat and tie for the entire night to protect his father’s land from the acquisition. Reports also said that, the judge had not eaten or drunk anything for the night.
In 2013, Shukla had alleged the land acquisition to be “against the rules” and “corrupt”, according to a report by Aaj Tak.
Taking into account the injustice done to ADJ Shukla, former UP CM and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav had tweeted earlier on 25 March that the case is “the worst example of a poor law and order situation.”
After Basti district magistrate’s report on the incident, Allahabad high court administrative committee reportedly decided to suspend ADJ Shukla since 3 April it is learned.
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Four killed, one critically injured as tractor-trolley collides with bike in UP's Kaushambi
Kaushambi (UP) (PTI): Four people were killed and another man was critically injured after a tractor-trolley collided head-on with a motorcycle near a village here on Thursday, police said.
Five people were riding on a single motorcycle when the accident took place at around 9 pm near Arka village in the Karari area, they said.
The deceased were identified as Rahul (14), Akash Saroj (25), Aman (22) and Chhotu (20), while Vikas Kaithwal (18) sustained critical injuries. All the victims were residents of Dhanpara village.
The victims were taken to the district hospital, where doctors declared four of them dead. The injured person is undergoing treatment, police said.
Following the accident, the driver fled with the tractor, leaving the trolley behind, they said.
Police are now examining CCTV footage along the route taken by the motorcycle riders.
The Circle Officer of Manjhanpur has been asked to probe the functioning of police pickets and Police Response Vehicles deployed on the route, a senior police official said.
The families of the deceased have been informed, and post-mortem examinations are being conducted, he added.
