Haldwani railway land case: SC to hear plea against eviction tomorrow

Thousands of residents of Banbhoolpura are protesting the removal of encroachments, saying it will render them homeless and jeopardise the future of their school going children.

New Delhi, Jan 04: The Supreme Court will hear a plea in a matter related to the eviction of about 5,000 people from Uttarakhand's Haldwani allegedly from railways land on Thursday.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices S A Nazeer and P S Narasimha posted the matter for hearing after advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the matter.

Bhushan submitted that the case -- of more than 5,000 houses in Haldwani being demolished -- is similar to the matter scheduled to be heard on Thursday.

The apex court agreed to tag the matter and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday.

Earlier, some Haldwani residents had moved the top court on the issue.

The Uttarakhand High Court on December 20 ordered the removal of encroachments from 29 acres of railway land in the town's Banbhoolpura area after giving a one-week advance notice to encroachers to vacate it.

Thousands of residents of Banbhoolpura had protested the removal of encroachments, saying it will render them homeless and jeopardise the future of their school going children. The move will affect a large number of women, children, and the elderly.

Haldwani Encroachment: Key things to know

• Railways land encroached near Haldwani
• Around 4,500 people's residence on encroached land
• The land includes 10 mosques, and four temples, besides shops, built over decades.
• Four government schools, 11 private schools, PHC and a bank
• It covers a 2-km strip of land near the Haldwani railway station - Gafoor Basti, Dholak Basti and Indira Nagar, in Banbhulpura area.

Targeting the BJP government for action against Muslims, activists and politicians have also joined the protests.

Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat held an hour-long 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) at his home in state capital Dehradun.

"If 50,000 people including children, pregnant women, old men and women are forced to vacate their homes and come out on roads, then it would be a very sad sight," Rawat said.