An anti-encroachment drive was underway in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on the morning of Wednesday, 20 April, even after the Supreme Court ordered the halting of the demolition. The gate of a mosque in the violence-hit district was also demolished by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
Tin roofs and encroachments outside shops attached to the mosque were also demolished.
The razing drive had continued for over an hour after the Supreme Court pronounced its “status quo” order. “The anti-encroachment drive will be stopped as soon as we have received the Supreme Court order,” North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh had been quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Minutes earlier, after the apex court’s order, Singh had said, “We have stopped our work (anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri).”
Upon receiving a complaint from advocate Dushyant Dave over the continuing of the drive, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had asked the Supreme Court Registry to communicate the status quo order to the concerned authorities immediately.
