New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a plea challenging the Uttarakhand High Court order evicting 4,365 families from 78 acres of railway land in Haldwani. Senior advocate and considered a Congress supporter Prashant Bhushan will represent the petitioners in the Supreme Court. According to reports, the area is home of around 50,000 residents, 90 percent of whom belong to the Muslim community.

According to local residents, there are five wards in the 78-acre area and there are around 25,000 voters. The number of elderly, women, and children is around 15,000. Following the High Court order of December 20, notices were issued in newspapers asking the encroachers to remove their household items by January 9. The administration has directed 10 ADM and 30 SDM rank officers to monitor the process.   

What is the case of Haldwani encroachment:

The incident took place in Gafoor Basti, Dholak Basti, and Indira Nagar spread over a 2.2 km area of Banbhulpura in Haldwani. Railways have issued notices to the residents that illegal encroachers should be removed between 82.900 km and 80.170 railway km. Otherwise, the encroachment will be removed and its expenses will also be recovered from those encroachers. According to the railways, in 2013, the matter first reached the court over illegal sand mining in the Gaula river.  

According to the railways, 10 years ago, in that case, it was found that only people living on the banks of the railways were involved in illegal sand mining. After this, the High Court directed the Railways to form a party and vacate the area. Then the local residents went to the Supreme Court and filed a petition in protest. The Supreme Court directed the HC to hear the arguments of local residents as well. The railways claimed that after hearing the arguments of all the parties again, the High Court had ordered the removal of the encroachers on December 20, 2022. Now the local residents have again reached the Supreme Court against the High Court's decision, which is going to be heard today. Now it remains to be seen whether the Supreme Court decides in favor of the encroachers or keeps the High Court's order intact.  

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