Give clear timeline for removing illegal places of worship: HC to BBMP

The high court on Thursday ordered the BBMP chief commissioner to file an affidavit setting a clear timeline for demolishing illegal religious structures from public land in Bengaluru.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka noted that the efforts taken by the civic body to implement the orders of the Supreme Court, issued way back in 2009, revealed a “shocking state of affairs”.

The high court is hearing a suo motu petition to implement the Supreme Court’s order dated September 29, 2009, pertaining to illegal religious structures. The apex court has directed the high courts to monitor the implementation of its 2009 order.

At the hearing on Thursday, the BBMP informed the high court that it had identified 277 illegal religious structures in Bengaluru that were built after the 2009 order, besides identifying 105 structures built before that for relocation. To this, the court pointed out that the structures constructed before 2009 ought to have been removed as early as in 2010. It expressed dismay at the fact that the authorities didn’t give any reason as to why no action was taken even on relocating these structures.

“Moreover, it is contended that there is a dispute in 379 cases as to whether the structures are on public lands or on private properties. There is no outer limit set by the chief commissioner. There is no outer limit stated by the chief commissioner for relocating and demolition of the structures,” the court noted.

The court directed BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta to file a better affidavit containing all the timelines within three weeks, and posted the next hearing to September 17.