SC Orders Status Quo on Construction at Mukhtar Ansari’s Disputed Land in Lucknow

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 10th Jan. The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the maintenance of status quo regarding the construction of housing units under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) at a disputed site in Lucknow’s Jiamau. The land in question is claimed by the sons of late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.

The Lucknow Development Authority had demolished a bungalow on the land in 2020, which belonged to Ansari and his sons, including Abbas Ansari. The government has since planned to build flats at the site under the PMAY scheme.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh took note of submissions made by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Abbas Ansari. Sibal informed the court that despite repeated listings, the Allahabad High Court had not yet granted an interim stay on the construction. In response, the Supreme Court issued a direction to maintain the status quo on the construction at the disputed site until the matter is heard by the High Court.

The bench also expressed concern over the delay in the hearing, despite its prior order directing the Allahabad High Court to expedite the matter. The Court emphasized that if third-party rights were created during the construction, it could result in irreversible losses to the petitioners.

The dispute centers around plot No 93 in Village Jiamau, which Abbas Ansari claims his grandfather purchased in 2004. According to the plea, the property was later bequeathed to Abbas and his brother through a registered will by their grandmother in 2017. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dalibagh, Lucknow, declared the plot as government property in 2020, leading to the dispossession of Abbas Ansari and his brother in August 2023.

Abbas Ansari filed a petition in 2023 before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, seeking to regain possession. His plea, however, has not been granted an interim stay, unlike similar petitions from other affected co-owners. The petition further claims that after taking possession of the plot, the authorities began construction of dwelling units under the PMAY scheme.

The Supreme Court’s decision ensures that no further construction will occur at the site until the High Court resolves the matter.