Shaheen Bagh demolition drive: SC refuses to grant stay, asks petitioners to move HC

New Delhi, May 9: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea filed by CPI (M) against the demolition drive in South Delhi's Shaheen Bagh area by South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), news agency ANI reported.

The apex court granted liberty to the petitioner to approach High Court, saying "let the affected parties come to court." Protests erupted in Shaheen Bagh ahead of an anti-encroachment drive on Monday as hundreds of people including women started dharna in the area as soon as the SDMC officials reached the spot with bulldozers to carry out the exercise.

Protesters raised slogans against the BJP-ruled South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) as well as the central government and demanded to stop the action.

Shaheen Bagh that falls under the central zone of SDMC, was the centre of protests and sit-ins against Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December 2019. The sit-in was called off in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic had struck the city.

However, the anti-encroachment drive at Shaheen Bagh has been halted. It remains unclear whether the drive will resume, reports The Indian Express.