CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat welcomes SC judgment on 'bulldozer justice'

New Delhi: CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court judgment on bulldozer actions and said she wished it would have come earlier.

Coming down hard on 'bulldozer justice', the Supreme Court on Wednesday laid down pan-India guidelines on demolition of properties and said the executive cannot become a judge, declare an accused as guilty and demolish his house.

"I welcome the Supreme Court judgment holding bulldozer actions as being illegal and malafide. I only wish the judgment had come earlier as it would have saved the bulldozing of many many houses across BJP-led states," Karat said in a statement.

"But it has come, it has brought justice to those who suffered and to those who would have suffered in the future because of the BJP’s targeting of the poor and particularly of minority communities," she said.

Passing a slew of directions, the Supreme Court bench said, "No demolition should be carried out without a prior show cause notice returnable either in accordance with the time provided by the local municipal laws or within 15 days time from the date of service of such notice, whichever is later." The apex court said it will be "totally unconstitutional" if houses of people are demolished merely because they are accused or even convicts.