Haldwani Evictions: Supreme Court to take up pleas today

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said petitions challenging the judgment of Uttarakhand High Court, ordering demolition of encroachments on railway land in Haldwani, will be taken up on Thursday. The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and justices Abdul Nazeer and PS Narasimha by advocate Prashant Bhushan.

Bhushan urged SC to tag his client's petition with an existing batch of petitions pertaining to Haldwani demolitions slated for hearing on Thursday. Speaking for the bench, CJI Chandrachud said the clutch of petitions would be taken up on Thursday.

More than 5,000 houses are facing demolitions in Haldwani's Banbhoolpura area after the Uttarakhand High Court in December 2022 ordered removal of encroachments. The families facing eviction have been living on the land for the past several years.