SC Issues Contempt Notice to Assam Officials Over Eviction Drive
Plea Alleges Mass Eviction in Goalpara Violated Apex Court Demolition Guidelines.
- Supreme Court issued contempt notices to Assam Chief Secretary and other officials for Goalpara eviction alleged guideline violations.
- The plea alleges petitioners received insufficient notice or hearing before demolitions.
- SC guidelines require prior show-cause notices and a 15-day waiting period before demolitions, with violations risking criminal contempt.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th July: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices seeking contempt action against the Assam Chief Secretary and other officials for allegedly carrying out a mass eviction and demolition drive in Goalpara’s Hasila Beel, purportedly in violation of the apex court’s standing guidelines.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai sought responses within two weeks from Chief Secretary Ravi Kota, Principal Secretary of the Revenue & Disaster Management Department Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, Goalpara District Commissioner Khanindra Choudhury, and Goalpara Superintendent of Police Nabaneet Mahanta, among others. The court, also comprising Justice K. Vinod Chandran, dispensed with the personal presence of the alleged contemnors until further orders.
The contempt plea, filed through advocate Adeel Ahmed, asserts that the petitioners were not given sufficient time or an opportunity for a hearing. It alleges that an “arbitrary and high-handed manner” notice was issued, mandating the removal of houses, structures, shops, buildings, and crops within just two days. Subsequently, “the houses, crops, properties, belongings, etc. of the petitioners and other similarly situated persons have all been demolished,” the plea states.
The petitioners claim to be landless, stating their forefathers settled in the Hasila Beel revenue village of Balijana Revenue Circle approximately 50 to 60 years ago after being displaced by riverbank erosion of the Brahmaputra.
The plea further contends that the eviction and demolition exercise was conducted without granting a personal hearing or providing adequate time for appeal or judicial review, which constitutes a “blatant violation” of the Supreme Court’s directives. These directives, issued in November last year by a bench including then Justice Gavai, laid down pan-India guidelines for the demolition of unauthorized structures. The top court had explicitly warned that flouting these directions by state authorities would lead to criminal contempt and prosecution.
Under these guidelines, issued under Article 142 of the Constitution, no demolition can be carried out without a prior show-cause notice. The order for demolition must also not be implemented for a period of 15 days and is required to be displayed on a designated digital portal maintained by every municipal and local authority. However, the Supreme Court had clarified that these directions would not apply to unauthorized structures in public places such such as roads, streets, footpaths, abutting railway lines, or any river or water bodies, or in cases where there is a court order for demolition.
Recent reports indicate that Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, initially named as Principal Secretary, Revenue & Disaster Management, was transferred as Principal Secretary – Transport Department, Assam, earlier in July 2025. Goalpara District Commissioner Khanindra Choudhury and Superintendent of Police Nabaneet Mahanta have been actively involved in recent eviction drives in the area.
