Here is the latest development on Batla House demolition case.
Since morning all eyes were on Delhi High Court as many residents approached it for interim relief. Residents’ petitioner Counsel Advocate Fahad Khan told the OT that new 11 petitioners approached the High Court from Batla House on Monday and their order was reserved in Batla House demolition case.
Some residents went to Saket Court also for interim relief in Batla House demolition case. Activist Tahir Ali told the OT that in Saket Court hearing is to take place on Tuesday. Ali said residents are hopeful of getting interim relief in the matter.
On Friday the Delhi High Court had given interim relief to 11 residents and of them two were from Khasra 279. Khan had then said two petitioners were specifically or partially from Khasra number 279.
On the Supreme Court order the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had pasted eviction notice on houses in Khasra 279 days ago, giving them 15 days time to vacate its land. However, since then residents have been claiming that as they have all documents they are bonafide residents.
Aggrieved residents of Khasra 279 are under severe stress, worried about where they will go if a demolition drive takes place, as they face a bleak and uncertain future for themselves and their families, according to those who have been closely observing the situation.
Batla House demolition: Residents looking for interim relief from courts
With the June 11 deadline expired, residents are looking for interim relief from the courts. Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan said while approximately 21 properties have secured some form of relief, notices had earlier been issued to 52 structures.
Former Congress Okhla MLA Asif Md Khan has urged all political leaders and activists to come on one platform to get the issue addressed in getting interim relief from courts for the aggrieved residents.
The nightmare for residents of Khasra Number 279 began on May 27, when the DDA arrived in the locality with heavy security to paste eviction notices, following a Supreme Court order. From that day onward, sleepless nights became the norm for many residents. The eviction notice quickly became the talk of the town, with word spreading like wildfire across Okhla, including Abul Fazal Enclave, Shaheen Bagh, and other nearby colonies.
Rumours swirled, and with every passing hour, new stories emerged. The tension was so palpable that many residents began questioning the method of the survey. Sarfraz Ahmed, a resident of Khasra 279, said: “We should have been made a party to the survey, and the Supreme Court should have heard us before passing its verdict.”
Residents say they have strong faith in judiciary
Several anxious residents sitting around him in a cramped room with its paint peeling from the walls, clearly untouched for years nodded in agreement. Residents said they have strong faith in the judiciary and hope to receive justice soon.
Firoze Muzaffar Hanfi also questioned the method of serving eviction notices, saying they should have been handed directly to residents. “In their rush, they pasted notices on houses that don’t fall under Khasra 279. My house isn’t in that Khasra, yet an eviction notice was pasted on my door. I’ve written to top officials to get the matter rectified,” he said. Many residents went to courts and got interim relief on the ground that their houses were not in marked Khasra, said a resident.
