Supreme Court issues notice on contempt plea over alleged biased demolitions in Assam’s Hasila Beel. Petitioners say eviction drive violated SC bulldozer guidelines and hit minority families.
New Delhi: Today, on July 24, the Supreme Court of India has today issued a notice in a contempt petition filed by residents of Hasila Beel revenue village, located in the Goalpara district of Assam. The petition challenges the recent eviction and demolition drive carried out by the local authorities in the village.
According to the petitioners, the demolition drive mainly targeted people from a minority community, while ignoring others in similar situations from the majority community. This, they argue, shows a discriminatory and unfair implementation of the eviction drive.
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The residents, who have approached the top court, have also asked for proper compensation, rehabilitation, and rebuilding of their homes and schools that were demolished.
The petitioners claim they are landless families who have been living in Hasila Beel under the Balijana Revenue Circle for the past 50 to 60 years.
They stated that their forefathers had settled in the area after losing their homes and land due to riverbank erosion caused by the Brahmaputra River.
The petitioners also told the Supreme Court that the demolitions violated the guidelines set by the Court itself in a judgment passed last year, which laid down strict rules for any bulldozer or demolition action by authorities.
Referring to a notice dated June 13, 2025, they said that the Circle Officer of Balijana Revenue Circle asked all residents occupying Dag No. 102 and 431 to remove their houses, shops, buildings, and crops within just two days.
The said land was apparently allotted to the Assam Fisheries Development Corporation in 2015.
The petitioners submitted that
“No sufficient time or any opportunity of hearing was provided to the Petitioners and in an arbitrary and high handed manner the impugned notice was issued. In fact the notice was not even issued individually to the Petitioners…”
They added that after a few days of the notice, a large-scale eviction and demolition drive was conducted in Hasila Beel, affecting nearly 667 families, including the petitioners.
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They also told the Supreme Court that
“The said eviction and demolition exercise was carried out without issuance of fresh show-cause notices, without granting personal hearing and without providing adequate time for appeal or Judicial review, particularly in view of the guidelines/directions of this Hon’ble Court in regard to demolition of structures passed issued in Writ Petition (civil) No. 295 of 2022…”
The petitioners further stated that during the demolition, around five government primary schools were also torn down, which is a violation of the Right to Education granted under Article 21A of the Constitution, as well as the protections provided under the Right to Education Act, 2009.
The plea has been filed through Advocate Addel Ahmed. The petitioners have also requested the Supreme Court to direct the Chief Secretary of Assam to file an affidavit explaining what steps were taken to implement and circulate the Supreme Court’s demolition-related guidelines.
Case Title:
Nur Nabi & Ors. vs. Ravi Kota & Ors.
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