Anti-demolition bill may pass scrutiny

NEW DELHI: Even as the SC has rapped the government over its moratorium on demolitions, worried traders and fidgety politicians are of the view that the legislation is well within the purview of law.

The government too, is sure that the apex court’s recent obervation on the validity of the bill would not impede the operations of the law. Senior government officials said the Centre would file its reply with the court and wait for the judgement.

Passed by Parliament in May. The law was challenged in the SC which called it “wholly invalid and void”. It gave the government one week’s time to file its reply to the petitions challenging the legislation and fixed July 31 as the date for a further hearing. “We are confident about the legal competence of Parliament that passed the law,” the officials added.