The Supreme Court on Thursday reprimanded authorities in UP for demolishing houses in Prayagraj without following legal procedure.

The apex court took cognizance in the incidents of the demolition of the houses of a lawyer, a professor, and three other individuals, as per reports.

The bench consisting of Justices Abhay Oka and Pankaj Mithal expressed disapproval, asking if the authorities knew about the existence of Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty). 

The court also directed the state to bear the expanses to rebuild the demolished houses, as per reports.

The applicants had earlier moved Supreme Court in the matter saying that they were not provided enough time to challenge the demolition notice.

Before this, in November 2024, Supreme Court had slammed the Uttar Pradesh government for illegal and abrupt demolition of a house with bulldozer for road widening.

The SC bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra had observed that an advance notice was not served and the due process was not followed, according to reports.

Terming the action by the state as out of the law, the top court said that the state government ‘can't come with bulldozer and demolish houses overnight without giving time to vacate the houses’.

The court also stated that the state could not justify the extent of encroachment, and questioned why demolition took place beyond alleged encroachment.

The apex court also asked the state to pay ₹25 lakh within a month to the petitioner whose house was demolished.