SC orders shifting of contempt pleas on ‘bulldozer justice’ to High Courts
Supreme Court transfers contempt pleas on alleged continuing bulldozer justice to High Courts while interim protection remains in force
- The Supreme Court transferred contempt petitions alleging continuing 'bulldozer justice' to the relevant High Courts and kept interim protection in force.
- The Supreme Court condemned illegal demolitions as arbitrary state action and stressed due process before demolition.
- High Courts can better examine disputed facts, obtain district records, and hear demolition-related matters through separate benches.
The Supreme Court has transferred contempt petitions alleging continuing 'bulldozer justice' to the relevant High Courts. The order matters because it keeps the issue within constitutional adjudication while recognising that many petitions require local factual inquiry.
What happened
A CJI-led bench said the Supreme Court cannot feasibly hear all such cases and that many matters require factual examination. The bench held that High Courts are better placed to examine disputed facts, obtain district records, and, where necessary, hear the matters through separate benches.
UPSC can frame the issue around due process, rule of law, the role of constitutional courts, and the division of labour between the Supreme Court and High Courts in fact-intensive disputes over executive demolition actions.
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