Justice Ujjal Bhuyan criticizes the trend of using bulldozers to demolish homes of accused persons. He warns it’s like crushing the Constitution and violates rule of law.
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NEW DELHI: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan spoke out strongly against a trend happening in many Indian states, where authorities use bulldozers to destroy houses of people who are accused or suspected of committing a crime.
He said this kind of action is like crushing the Indian Constitution itself.
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“According to me, using a bulldozer to demolish a property is like running a bulldozer over the constitution. It is a negation of the very concept of rule of law and if not checked, would destroy the very edifice of our justice delivery system,”
-he said.
This statement shows how serious the issue is and how such actions can harm the foundation of our legal system.
Justice Bhuyan was speaking at the 13th Justice PN Bhagwati International Moot Court Competition on Human Rights at Bharati Vidyapeeth New Law College in Pune. While giving his speech, he shared his deep concern about how authorities are demolishing houses by saying the buildings are illegal, especially when these houses belong to people who are only accused of a crime, not even proven guilty yet. He said this practice is “disturbing and depressing“.
He explained that even if someone in a family is an accused person or even a convict, there are many others living in the same house who are innocent.
“In that house, all right, we assume that this person may be an accused or he may be a convict, but his mother stays there, his sister stays there, his wife stays there, his children stay there. What is their fault? If you demolish that house, where will they go? It is right taking away the shelter over their heads, I would add, why only them? What about the accused? What about the convict? Just because somebody is an accused in an offense or a convict, that doesn’t mean that his house should be demolished.”
Through this statement, he showed that everyone deserves basic human rights and shelter, even if they are accused or found guilty. Taking away someone’s home just because one member of the family is in trouble with the law is unfair to everyone else in the family. It is like punishing the whole family without any legal trial.
Justice Bhuyan also talked about the need to improve the judiciary system in India. He said that just calling the Supreme Court of India the most powerful court in the world is not enough.
He believes that the judicial system must also take time to reflect on its mistakes.
“But we also need to introspect on if we have gone wrong somewhere down the line. Only if we do that then only there can be course correction and I strongly believe there is enough room for course correction in Indian judiciary.”
He also made an honest and bold statement about how even the decisions made by the Supreme Court may not always be perfect. He admitted that some of the recent judgments of the top court might need to be looked at again and examined more carefully.
“As a sitting Supreme Court judge, I have no hesitation in saying Supreme Court is supreme because it is the final court … Had there been any other court above the Supreme Court like privy council of yesteryears.. many of the judgments of the Supreme Court perhaps would have to suffer a re-look.”
By saying this, he showed humility and openness to change, even in the highest levels of the judiciary. He accepted that no institution is perfect and there is always room for improvement and review.
He also encouraged young law students to think deeply and not accept everything blindly. He told them that it is very important to ask questions, think critically, and even challenge judgments, including those of the Supreme Court, if necessary.
“Why we are saying this is because as students of law, we have to adopt a critical and questioning mindset and not to lap up anything and everything that comes, including judgments of Supreme court. We need to critically analyse them. Of course criticise them on solid ground and not impugn motive,”
-he said.
This message was clearly meant to inspire the next generation of lawyers and judges. Justice Bhuyan wants law students to become thoughtful professionals who don’t just follow everything blindly, but who are willing to think independently and speak up when something seems wrong—even when that something comes from the top.
Justice Bhuyan’s words reflect a powerful message about the current state of justice in India. His speech was not only about the misuse of bulldozers to destroy homes of accused persons, but also about the larger issue of maintaining fairness, human rights, and the rule of law.
In a democracy like India, where the Constitution is the highest law, actions like bulldozer demolitions without fair legal process are dangerous and must be stopped. Justice Bhuyan reminded everyone that justice must be done with fairness, compassion, and respect for every person’s rights.
His call for reforms in the judiciary also reminds us that every system can and should evolve for the better. Even the Supreme Court, which is the final authority in the country, can sometimes make mistakes and needs to be open to corrections. Only by accepting this can India have a stronger and fairer justice system.
Justice Bhuyan’s powerful remarks should act as a wake-up call for both government authorities and the judiciary. His words urge us to respect the law and not act based on emotion or politics. Every citizen, whether innocent or guilty, has rights that must be protected.
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