Jharkhand High Court directs Rs 5 lakh compensation to demolished building owner

Ranchi, July 2: The Jharkhand High Court has ordered the state government to pay compensation of Rs 5 lakh for demolishing a privately owned building.

The building which was demolished also had five shops.

The court has considered this action as arbitrary of the state government and has directed to pay Rs 25,000 to the shop owner.

Incidentally, a building of Rajendra Prasad Sahu, a resident of Chatra district, was demolished by the district administration without following the rules. Rajendra Sahu had appealed to the High Court regarding this.

Advocates Ayush Aditya and Akash Deep argued in the court on behalf of Rajendra Sahu. The case was heard in the court of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi. The case dates back to 2011 when the district administration demolished five shops of Rajendra Sahu without following proper legal procedures and without issuing notice. During the hearing, the state government argued that the demolished structures were illegal encroachments.

After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the High Court ruled in favour of the petitioner. The court ordered that the state government should compensate for the reconstruction of the demolished property and for the mental distress caused to him. In its order, the High Court emphasized that the right to property is no longer a fundamental right. However, it remains a constitutional and human right. Therefore, no one should be deprived of his property only under the law.