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Kerala HC stays demolition of Lakshadweep houses in coastal hamlets
The Lakshadweep administration had claimed that most of the buildings under notice were constructed illegally and were in conflict with the integrated island management plan.
The Kerala high court on Tuesday stayed the demolition of more than 100 houses and structures located near the sea in Lakshadweep that were served notices by the island administration for allegedly flouting coastal norms.
The island residents had petitioned the court against the order calling it “illegal” and “arbitrary”, arguing that they have been living close to the sea, their main source of living, for years together before the integrated island management plan came into being last month and declared structures within 20 metres of the high- tide line as illegal. They also said that a special permit was not required to construct on their private land and the notices were a clear infringement on the rights of scheduled tribes.
The administration claimed that most of the buildings under notice were constructed illegally and were in conflict with the integrated island management plan. After hearing both sides, the single bench of justice Raja Vijayaraghavan stayed all proceedings till further notice.
The court order is seen as another blow to attempts to push controversial rules in Lakshadweep islands by administrator Praful Khoda Patel. On June 23, the Kerala high court stayed the order to close dairy farms and exclude meat products from the midday meals in the island’s schools while three more petitions challenging the rules, including those seeking relocation of islanders from their property for town planning and tourism promotion, are pending before the high court.
Residents of the archipelago have been protesting these new rules including the draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (2021) that proposes to develop the islands as a major tourist destination, a proposal to notify the Goonda Act and a plan to ban cow slaughter. Patel’s critics in the islands argue that these steps will destroy the islands’ character and identity since 97% of the islands are covered by pristine forests and inhabited by Muslim majority. About 90% of the island population is Muslim by faith and they come under the scheduled tribe category.
The administration has however rejected the allegations.
Kerala-based filmmaker Aisha Sultana, who was booked in a sedition case for calling the administrator a bio-weapon, returned to the state on Tuesday after five- day grilling by the police in the island. She said she will continue her fight for preserving the self-respect and identity of the island people.
She claimed there were many attempts to harass her by the administration while she was on the island.
