Allahabad High Court Halts Demolition of Varanasi House, Seeks Inspection Report from Nagar Nigam
By Rajesh Pandey
In a temporary relief to a Varanasi resident, the Allahabad High Court has stayed the demolition of a house located in the Dal Mandi area of the city.
The matter came up after the Varanasi Nagar Nigam issued a notice directing the owner of House No. 39/12 to demolish the structure within seven days, citing its dilapidated condition.
Challenging this order, the petitioner, Syed Abbas Murtaza Shamsi, approached the court claiming ownership of the property and questioning the validity of the demolition notice.
The case was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Neeraj Tiwari and Justice Siddharth Nadan, which granted interim protection to the petitioner. The court has now scheduled the next hearing for May 7, 2026.
Arguing on behalf of Shamsi, senior advocate SFA Naqvi pointed out several irregularities in the process.
He told the court that the petitioner’s house was not included in the official list of unsafe or dilapidated buildings released on January 30, 2026. Despite this, a demolition notice was suddenly issued on April 15, 2026.
More importantly, the notice was addressed to Shamshu Nisha Begum, who is no longer alive. According to the petitioner’s counsel, issuing a notice in the name of a deceased person makes the entire process legally invalid from the outset.
Taking note of these submissions, the court asked the counsel representing Varanasi Nagar Nigam to produce the inspection report dated April 15, 2026, which formed the basis for issuing the demolition notice.
Until the next hearing, the court has ordered that the current status be maintained. In simple terms, no demolition will take place for now.
“List this case on May 7, 2026, as fresh. Till then, the status quo as of date shall be maintained,” the court said in its order dated April 30.
The case will now be taken up again next week, where the court is expected to examine the inspection report and the legality of the notice more closely.
