Supreme Court orders status quo on Assam demolition drive
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed a status quo on the proposed evictions and demolitions in Assam’s Sonapur. A Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan issued a notice on a contempt petition challenging the demolitions and directed the State government to respond within three weeks.
The plea was filed by forty-eight residents who argued that the demolition drive was in violation of the Supreme Court's recent interim order against the use of bulldozers for demolishing properties of individuals suspected of criminal activities without prior permission.
Sonapur, located on the outskirts of Guwahati within the Kamrup Metro district, has recently witnessed a series of eviction notices issued by the district administration, which classified several residents as ‘illegal occupiers’ or ‘encroachers’ on tribal lands.
The contempt plea, filed through advocate Adeel Ahmed, stated that the houses were marked for demolition without any prior notice or hearing. The petitioners argued that they hold rights over the land through a power of attorney, and that their families have resided there since the 1920s, prior to the establishment of protected tribal belts in the area. They also submitted that they possess utility facilities, ration cards, Aadhaar cards, and voter ID cards based on their residency.
The residents further contended that the proposed demolitions are in breach of an undertaking recorded before the Gauhati High Court, which granted them interim protection. They have sought contempt proceedings against officials for violating court orders and urged the Supreme Court to halt the eviction process.
Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi appeared on behalf of the petitioners, while the plea was drafted by advocates Abdur Razzaque Bhuyan, Sana Parveen, and Arijeet Baruah.
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Rickelton's ton in vain as SRH beat MI by 6 wickets
Mumbai (PTI): Ryan Rickelton's whirlwind unbeaten ton was overshadowed by Heinrich Klaasen's unbeaten 65 as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Mumbai Indians by six wickets in an IPL match here on Wednesday.
Chasing an imposing 244-run target, Travis Head (76 off 30) and Abhishek Sharma (45 off 24) shared 129 runs for the opening wicket to set the platform for SRH.
Klaasen (65 not out off 30 balls) then displayed his all-round hitting abilities to guide SRH home with the help of Nitish Kumar Reddy (21) and Salil Arora (30 not out off 10) in 18.4 overs.
Earlier, Rickelton's knock powered MI to 243 for five.
MI rode on a 93-run stand between Rickelton (123 not out off 55 balls) and Will Jacks (46 off 22) in 7.1 overs for the opening stand to power the side.
MI skipper Hardik Pandya scored a valuable 31 off 15 balls before being dismissed.
Praful Hinge (2/54), Eshan Malinga (1/29), Sakib Hasan (1/39) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1/31) were the wicket-takers for SRH.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indian: 243 for 5 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 123 not out; Praful Hinge 2/54).
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 249 for 4 in 18.4 overs (Travis Head 76, Heinrich Klaasen 65 not out; AM Ghazanfar 2/51).
