New Delhi: In a long-running court-monitored compliance of “illegal” structures in Meerut’s Shastri Nagar central market area, the Supreme Court Thursday once again pulled up the UP government authorities for defying its December 2024 order and letting commercial activities operate from “illegal” buildings, which had been authorised only for residential zones. It, thereby, ordered the demolition of all unauthorised ‘setbacks (minimum open space required around any building or structure)’ across the 859 properties within two months.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan was hearing a contempt petition against the UP Awas Evam Vikas Parishad (AEVP)—the UP Housing Development Board—over its failure to demolish illegal commercial structures in residential zones in the Central Market area of Meerut’s Shastri Nagar, according to the top court’s December 2024 order. During the last hearing on 6 April, the court had strongly criticised the Uttar Pradesh government’s exercise of authority as mandated by the law.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court bench orally observed that the case was an “eye-opener for state machinery”—not just for Uttar Pradesh but also for other states. “Had the authorities taken steps in the appropriate time in the right direction, this situation would not have arisen,” the court said.
The bench, which was apprised of the areas being used not only for commercial activities but also for running banks, schools, and hospitals Thursday, also instructed the UP Housing Board to file a compliance affidavit, along with photos of each and every property where commercial activities were underway.
“The photographs must be in two parts—the upper part of the photograph showing the area before sealing and the latter part after sealing,” the court added.
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The case
The current case started in December 2024, when the top court upheld an Allahabad High Court decision to demolish unauthorised commercial constructions in Shastri Nagar, dismissing the appeals of traders.
Initially, only residential houses had been constructed on plots in the central market of Meerut, but over time, additional constructions had made way for commercial activities. The top court said that, irrespective of the buildings’ age or investment, illegal constructions could not be regularised.
Subsequently, Meerut authorities identified 1,478 plots in Shastri Nagar, as well as others in the nearby colonies of Jagriti Vihar & Madhav Puram. On the morning of 25 October 2025, Awas Vikas Parishad bulldozers entered the area. Over the two subsequent days, 22 businesses—chai stalls, bridalwear shops, and medical clinics—were razed, as crowds gathered.
This year, on 6 April, the top court directed that 44 of the properties “be sealed at the earliest” and strongly criticised the Meerut Divisional Commission for an order halting the demolition of the illegal structures. The order—passed by then Uttar Pradesh AEVP Chairman P. Guruprasad and Meerut Divisional Commissioner Rishikesh Bhaskar Yashod in October 2025—stated that the demolitions would be halted “at present”.
Yashod, later, apprised the court in person of a review of the demolitions in the area to prevent a “public hue and cry”.
6 April order
The top court’s 6 April order also said, “What is more shocking and startling is that in this particular area, there are 5-6 schools and hospitals. These schools and hospitals are being run in buildings/constructions, which are absolutely illegal and unauthorised. We wonder how they were able to procure an electricity connection for the same.”
“We are going to inquire in the course of further hearing: who is responsible for providing electricity to these buildings, which are absolutely unauthorised. We would also like to know the basis for providing such electricity connections.”
The bench, showing its “anxiety”, said that no untoward incident should occur in the illegal schools and the illegal hospitals.
Appearing for the Awas Evam Vikas Parishad, senior advocate Rajiv Shakhdar clarified that insofar as the residential houses were concerned, people had put up additional constructions in the form of a first-floor or a second-floor and the setback. The court recorded “he made himself very clear that the setback has to be demolished at any cost and at the earliest”. “He also made himself clear that the additional construction put up in the residential building has also to be demolished, unless it falls within the scheme of compounding.”
“However, we should not allow all the commercial complexes to function. The photographs placed on record for our perusal are also startling. A mere glance at the photographs would indicate that the plots—outright—have been utilised for commercial structures, there are no houses,” the court’s 6 April order said.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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