Haldwani – The Supreme Court has continued its existing stay order in the Banbhoolpura railway land encroachment matter, listing the next hearing for 2 December. The case was heard by a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi.
The petition was filed by Abdul Mateen Siddiqui, who challenged the Uttarakhand High Court’s earlier directive ordering the removal of encroachments from Banbhoolpura. During the hearing, counsels representing the Railways, the state government and local occupants presented their arguments.
Senior advocate Aishwarya Bhati appeared for the Railways, while Abhishek Atrey represented the state. The Railways submitted that approximately 30 hectares of land is urgently required for rail expansion and construction, and requested the court’s intervention to ensure early clearance of the occupied area.
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On the other side, senior advocates Salman Khurshid, Prashant Bhushan and others argued that the land now being sought was not part of the original written demand and stated that railway infrastructure no longer faces any threat following the construction of a retaining wall. They also objected to the proposal to relocate Banbhoolpura residents under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, stating that it was inappropriate. This was opposed by the Railways’ counsel.
