Lucknow Court Demolition Drive Sparks Protest by Lawyers, Tension Grips Qaiserbagh Area
Tension prevailed in Lucknow’s Qaiserbagh locality on Sunday morning after a demolition drive near the civil court campus triggered strong protests from lawyers.
The advocates objected to the removal of chambers built near the old High Court building and the civil court complex, leading to a heated standoff with authorities.
According to police officials, the demolition was carried out by the Municipal Corporation with support from the district police following directions issued by the Allahabad High Court to clear alleged encroachments in the area.
The operation began early in the morning when teams from the Municipal Corporation and district police reached the site and started demolishing structures that officials claimed were illegally constructed on encroached land.
As the news spread, a large number of lawyers gathered at the spot and strongly opposed the action, confronting police personnel and civic officials during the drive.
The atmosphere soon turned tense as arguments between protesting advocates and the administration intensified.
With the crowd growing restless and chaos increasing, police used mild force to disperse the protesters and restore order at the site.
The unrest created panic in the surrounding market area, forcing several shopkeepers and roadside vendors to quickly shut their establishments and leave the area amid fears of further escalation.
Officials stated that many unauthorised constructions had been identified in and around the court premises and that the demolition drive was part of a broader campaign to remove illegal encroachments.
Heavy police deployment remained in place around the civil court campus to maintain law and order and avoid any fresh confrontation.
However, after the protest by lawyers intensified and tensions continued to rise, authorities decided to suspend the demolition drive for the day. Officials said the operation was temporarily halted to prevent the situation from worsening further.
The administration has now planned to hold discussions with representatives of the lawyers before deciding the next course of action regarding the demolition exercise.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Kamlesh Kumar Dixit said that several illegal structures were removed during the operation as part of the enforcement drive.
He reiterated that the action was carried out strictly under the directions of the Allahabad High Court regarding the removal of encroachments.
The DCP also confirmed that no FIR had been registered in connection with the protest till now.
Police officials further stated that although mild force was used during the protest, no one had officially reported any injuries so far.
Authorities continued to monitor the situation closely, maintaining that any future action in the matter would be taken strictly in accordance with legal guidelines.
