Supreme Court orders 10-day status quo over demolition drive near Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered maintaining a status quo for 10 days on demolition drive being carried out by railway authorities to clear encroachments near Krishna Janambhoomi in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose, Sanjay Kumar and S V N Bhatti said, “let there be status quo as regards the subject premises for a period of 10 days. List after a week”.

Senior advocate P C Sen, representing the petitioner Yakub Shah, contended before the top court that this is a demolition going on near Krishna Janmabhoomi and many houses have been bulldozed.

The counsel sought intervention of the court, alleging that the authorities conducted the exercise on a day when UP courts were closed.

The plea challenged demolition drive by railway authorities to clear encroachments near Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura.

It claimed about 3,000 people would be affected by the demolition drive against the people who have been living there since the 1800s.

The court also issued notice to the Centre and railways in the matter.

The railways sought to clear encroachments behind the temple complex, primarily consisting of residential structures, as part of the efforts to convert an existing metre gauge railway track to a broad-gauge track in order to facilitate a connection between Mathura and Vrindavan.

Yakub Shah and others claimed the action of demolition during the pendency of an appeal filed before the Mathura Civil court is absolutely illegal, arbitrary and in violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.