AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi welcomed the Supreme Court’s guidelines on “bulldozer justice” and criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for previously supporting what he called “bulldozer raj”, which the Court has now described as promoting a “lawless state of affairs”. The Supreme Court laid down nationwide guidelines on property demolitions, clarifying that the Executive cannot act as a judge by declaring an accused person guilty and demolishing their home.
The bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan asserted that if a government arbitrarily demolishes the home of an accused individual, it is a violation of the rule of law. In response, Owaisi expressed relief over the judgment, emphasizing that the enforceable guidelines are a significant development. He expressed hope that these guidelines would protect Muslims and marginalized groups from being collectively punished through arbitrary demolitions.
In a post on X, Owaisi pointed out that PM Modi had previously praised the use of bulldozers in such contexts, which the Supreme Court now equates with lawlessness. The Court’s decision aims to establish boundaries for government actions regarding demolitions, ensuring they are not used as a form of collective punishment or a summary judgment against individuals.
