NEW DELHI, Aug 7:
The city police today sought more time from the Delhi High Court to demolish the unauthorised construction, built by MLA Shoaib Iqbal and his supporters at a Metro railway project site in Old Delhi, found having purported ruins of a Mughal-era structure.
The police sought more time to demolish the structure, expressing its inability to provide requisite force to the North Delhi MCD for removal of the “illegal” structure on the account of “the massive deployment of police force to maintain peace in the area for Independence Day, Baba Ram Dev’s protest and Ramzan.”
In an application, the police sought modification of the court’s July 30 order, which had asked it to provide force to North Delhi MCD for demolition of the structure within 15 days.
In its plea to the court, the police also sought a direction to Matia Mahal MLA Shoaib Iqbal to remove the “illegal” structure, built by him at the site.
The police said “the Holy month of Ramzan is in progress, Independence Day celebrations are approaching for which the security arrangements are to be made and police force is to be deployed.”
“Additionally, Baba Ramdev’s team too has booked the Ram Lila Ground from July 25 to August 30 for his ‘anshan’ (fast), which will start on August 9.
“The applicant (Delhi Police) is bound to manage all the above throughout the month of August. Each of the aforementioned events would need massive deployment of police force for maintaining peace, law and order. As such special efforts would have to be made to ensure peace and tranquillity in the area,” the petition said.
Seeking the court’s direction to Iqbal to remove the structure, the petition said “Appropriate directions be issued to Shoiab Iqbal, MLA to remove unauthorised construction at the site of Subhash Park under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India.”
It added that “if the prayer in the application is not granted, the same might result in disturbance of peace.”
The petition added that senior police officers had held discussions with some “respectable and knowledgeable persons” in the area and they had suggested that “as the demolition of unauthorised construction might disturb communal harmony at this time, it being the holy month of Ramzan, the same should be postponed.”
Appearing before the division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, Additional Solicitor General Siddharth Luthra sought the court to hear the matter on Thursday but the bench posted the plea for August 17 for hearing.
The bench had earlier asked the ASI to implement its July 19 notice in which it directed North Delhi Municipal Corporation to remove the unauthorised construction within 15 days.
Even common people had gathered there to offer namaj defying the NDMC order, which had banned any religious activity there. (PTI)
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