‘Demolitions Part of Illegal State Policy’: Ex-Judges Urge SC To Take Action

The letter-petition urges SC to take suo motu action to "arrest the deteriorating law and order situation in UP."

"The coordinated manner in which the police and development authorities have acted lead to the clear conclusion that demolitions are a form of collective extra judicial punishment, attributable to a state policy which is illegal," wrote several retired judges and senior advocates in a letter petition filed in the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday, 14 June.

Pointing out that the "mettle of the judiciary is tested in such critical times", the letter petition addressed to the Chief Justice of India urges the Supreme Court to take immediate suo motu action, in a bid to –

"Arrest the deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, specifically involving the high-handedness of the police and state authorities, and the brutal clampdown on the fundamental rights of citizens."