Wife of Prayagraj violence accused moves Allahadbad HC against razing of house

The house was brought down by authorities on June 12, a day after Mohammad was arrested on charges of instigating violent protests against derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammed

Parveen Fatima, wife of Javed Mohammad who is believed to be the main conspirator behind the June 10 Prayagraj violence, has moved Allahabad high court against the demolition of her house here last week.

Authorities demolish the residence of activist Mohammad Javed which according to them have been constructed illegally in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, June 12, 2022. Javed has also been accused of involvement in violence during Friday’s protests against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remark deemed derogatory to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh) (AP)

The house was brought down by authorities on June 12, a day after Mohammad was arrested on charges of instigating violent protests against derogatory remarks on Prophet Mohammed by suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled BJP leader Naveen Jindal, in Prayagraj on June 10.

In her plea before the high court on Tuesday, Fatima claimed she was the owner of the demolished house in JK Ashiyana, in Kareli area of Prayagraj, as she had received the same as a gift from her parents before her marriage, her counsel K K Roy said.

The petitioner also said that she was not served any notice by the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) before the demolition and sought orders to rebuild the house, Roy added.

Fatima’s plea came days after the high court, on June 13, had refused to entertain a letter petition filed by Roy and five other lawyers against the demolition.

In their letter petition, the lawyers had also pointed out that the house belonged to Fatima and not Mohammad.

“The letter petition was filed due to urgency in the case as the administration was illegally demolishing the house. Now, a proper petition has been filed by Parveen Fatima before the high court seeking order for rebuilding the house,” Roy said.

“The house was gifted to her (Fatima) by her parents before marriage and she was paying house tax and water tax from time to time. Even tax receipts were issued in her name. However, no notices were issued in her name before demolition of the house,” Roy said.

Besides Prayagraj, violent protests were also witnessed in Kanpur and Saharanpur.

Nearly 250 people have been arrested so far from all the three districts.

Besides Mohammad’s house, houses of two accused in Saharanpur and a multi-storey building of a relative of an accused in Kanpur have been razed by authorities.

The Supreme Court on June 16 had said that demolition of properties must take place in accordance with the law and not as a retaliatory measure. It had also sought replies from the state of Uttar Pradesh and municipal authorities in this regard.