After SC paves way, LMC resumes demolition of illegal chambers
Supreme Court Clears Path as Lucknow Municipal Corporation Tackles Remaining Court-Complex Encroachments
Bharatmorningnews.com – The Lucknow Municipal Corporation brought eight bulldozers and heavy earth-moving equipment back to the perimeter of the district court complex on Sunday evening, completing the removal of 57 structures that authorities classify as illegal chambers. The operation, which ran for roughly 75 minutes beginning at 5:10 p.m., concluded without a single protest or physical confrontation — a marked contrast to the earlier demolition drive that had drawn vocal opposition from the local bar.
The renewed action was made possible only after the Supreme Court removed the final legal obstacle. A two-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, sitting on August 25, declined to entertain a petition filed by advocates seeking to halt further demolition. That ruling effectively handed the civic administration a green light to proceed with clearing the remaining encroachments on government land surrounding the judicial complex.
From May Protests to Supreme Court Ruling
The current episode is the second phase of a broader cleanup effort. On May 17, acting on directions from the Allahabad High Court, the LMC had already demolished a substantial number of structures in the vicinity. That initial drive triggered immediate protests from lawyers who occupied the chambers, prompting them to approach the Supreme Court for relief. The apex court’s August 25 decision to dismiss the plea stripped the occupants of their last procedural shield and opened the door to the Sunday operation.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Srivastava placed the cumulative toll at 143 structures removed across both phases. He noted that the May exercise had already taken down 72 buildings along one stretch and a further 14 on Surendra Nath Road. Adding the 57 chambers demolished on Sunday brings the total to that figure, representing a significant reduction in long-standing encroachments on land earmarked for judicial infrastructure.
How the Sunday-Evening Operation Unfolded
A joint police-and-administration team arrived at the site around 4:30 p.m. The LMC convoy, carrying eight bulldozers and associated heavy vehicles, followed shortly after. Municipal engineers disconnected the electrical supply to the affected stretch before demolition commenced at 5:10 p.m. The entire exercise was completed within the hour-and-a-quarter window, after which machinery withdrew from the area.
The operation had originally been slated for approximately 10:45 a.m. on Sunday. However, officials confirmed that a VIP movement through the city disrupted the planned police deployment, forcing the civic body to postpone the drive until evening. Around four heavy earth movers had been earmarked for the morning slot; the eventual evening deployment expanded to eight units to compress the timeline.
Bar Association Weighs In
Jitu Yadav, general secretary of the Lucknow Bar Association, struck a measured tone in the aftermath. While affirming respect for the High Court’s earlier order that initiated the cleanup, he reiterated the advocates’ longstanding position that the administration owed them a functional alternative workspace before any chamber was razed.
“We respect the High Court’s decision. Our demand was that the advocates should first be provided a proper alternative space. At present, there is no plan to hold any protest over the issue,” Yadav said.
His remarks underscore a recurring tension in Indian municipal governance: the state’s obligation to recover illegally occupied public land collides with the practical need of thousands of working lawyers who have, over decades, set up practice rooms in structures that were never formally sanctioned. The absence of a dedicated advocate-chamber complex in Lucknow’s judicial precinct has made the issue politically sensitive and legally contested.
On the Ground Before the Bulldozers Arrived
Observations made at the site on Sunday showed several chamber owners personally hauling out furniture, small appliances, and personal effects in the hours before the LMC teams moved in. A number of occupants had begun dismantling their own structures — removing doors, window frames, and partition walls — in an apparent effort to salvage what they could before the machinery arrived. The scene reflected a quiet, orderly evacuation rather than the confrontational atmosphere that had accompanied the May drive.
What Comes Next
The civic body’s stated objective is to clear all remaining encroachments from government land before the next scheduled court hearing, set for the final week of August. Prior to the Sunday operation, the LMC had issued formal notices to every occupant of the identified illegal chambers, directing them either to vacate voluntarily or to substantiate a lawful claim over the land and the construction. Those who failed to do so faced demolition as a matter of course.
For the broader Lucknow judicial ecosystem, the completion of this cleanup carries implications beyond the immediate physical clearing. It tightens the perimeter around a district court complex that handles a heavy caseload of civil, criminal, and revenue matters, and it removes a long-standing source of friction between the municipal administration and the local bar. Whether the administration will now address the advocates’ demand for alternative practice space — the central grievance voiced by the Bar Association — remains the open question heading into the next hearing.
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