HC orders for demolition of old houses in Indore only after making temporary arrangement for tenant

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday ordered the Municipal Corporation to demolish the old houses in Ganji compound area provided the tenant of the house is given temporary accommodation by the civic body within two days.

This is the housing complex for which BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya had attacked a civic body official with the cricket bat on June 26. The building was to be demolished on Tuesday due to its dilapidated condition.

The petitioner's lawyer Pushyamitra Bhargava said: "The High Court has ordered the Municipal Corporation for giving temporary accommodation for three months to the petitioner who approached it against the demolition of the houses."

"The HC said that only after giving temporary settlement, the old houses in Ganji compound can be demolished," he said.

Bhargav said: "The Municipal Corporation had given the notice for the demolition of the old buildings on June 26. The High Court has accepted the tenant's argument of alternative accommodation if the old buildings are demolished."

As per a document accessed by ANI, dated April 2018, the owner of the building had been notified by the Municipal Corporation then to either vacate or raze the portion of the building, which was in a poor condition.

"If the owner fails to do so, the corporation would seal the building," added the letter.

On June 26, a Municipal Corporation officer, who was on an anti-encroachment drive in the area, was chased away by Akash and his supporters.

A video of the dramatic incident, showing the legislator beating up the officer with a cricket bat, went viral, drawing criticism from the opposition.

A Bhopal court on Saturday granted bail to Akash in the assault case. He was released from Indore district jail on Sunday morning.