On Saturday, tension flared in Lucknow’s Qaiserbagh area after lawyers and Uttar Pradesh Police personnel clashed during a large-scale demolition drive carried out near the district magistrate’s office. The action, undertaken following directions issued by the Allahabad High Court against illegal encroachments around court premises, led to chaotic scenes as civic authorities moved to clear structures allegedly obstructing public pathways near the District and Sessions Court.
The demolition drive targeted around 240 allegedly illegal chambers constructed in the area. According to media reports, the situation escalated when a group of lawyers allegedly began pelting stones at police personnel deployed during the operation. Police subsequently used mild force to disperse the crowd and bring the situation under control. The anti-encroachment exercise was initiated after the High Court recently took serious note of unauthorised constructions near the court complex and directed the Lucknow Nagar Nigam to proceed with the removal of encroachments with police assistance wherever required. The High Court had observed that at least 72 encroachers, most of them advocates, had occupied public pathways, while some shops had also been illegally set up in the locality.
While directing the authorities to continue the demolition process, the High Court had emphasised that the encroachments were causing inconvenience to the general public accessing the court area. Stressing that the exercise should reach its logical end, the Court had ordered that district and police authorities extend all necessary support to the municipal corporation to prevent any untoward incident during the removal process. Acting on those directions, authorities carried out the demolition amid heavy police presence, eventually leading to a confrontation at the site.
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