On 1 April 2025, the Supreme Court held that the Prayagraj Development Authority had unlawfully demolished homes in March 2021. The appeals included those of lawyer Zulfiquar Haider and professor Ali Ahmed. The court ordered the authority to pay ₹10 lakh in each of five appeals within six weeks.
Incident/policy context. Original factual graphic; read the report for attribution and the full account.
The residents received a communication on 6 March 2021 and the demolition followed the next day. The court found that the procedure deprived them of the statutory opportunity to appeal and violated their right to shelter. Uttar Pradesh defended the action, arguing that the constructions were illegal; the court held that this did not excuse disregard of due process.
Documented milestone. This historical record does not establish the current final outcome.
The judgment left land-rights proceedings and further compensation claims open. This is a specific finding about unlawful demolition, not a ruling that every property claim was valid or that religious motive had been proved. The payment direction is recorded here without asserting that the money was subsequently received.
