[Khori Gaon demolition] Role of Supreme Court is to uphold human rights, not undermine them: UN experts call on India to halt eviction

Human rights experts at the United Nations (UN) have issued a statement urging India to halt eviction of over 1 lakh people in Khori Gaon, Faridabad at Haryana, that began this week following a Supreme Court order. .Last Thursday, the Supreme Court directed the complete removal of the Khori Gaon settlements by July 19. The order came after the residents challenged the demolition of 2,000 homes in the area.. On July 17, the Supreme Court refused to halt the demolition of over 10,000 settlements at Khori Gaon in Faridabad district, Haryana citing encroachment on forest land in areas of Aravalli.."You know what to do:" Supreme Court refuses to halt demolition of settlements housing over 1 lakh people in Khori Gaon, Faridabad.“We find extremely worrying that India’s highest court, which has in the past led the protection of housing rights, is now leading evictions placing people at risk of internal displacement and even homelessness, as is the case in Khori Gaon,” the statement read..The role of the Supreme Court is to uphold the laws and to interpret them in light of internationally-recognized human rights standards, not to undermine them, they added. In this case, the spirit and purpose of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, among other domestic legal requirements, have not been met, the experts said. .The role of the Supreme Court is to uphold the laws and to interpret them in light of internationally-recognized human rights standards, not to undermine them.UN Experts.The UN experts who have issued the statement include Special Rapporteurs Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Mary Lawlor, Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Fernand de Varennes, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Olivier De Schutter and Koumbou Boly Barry..The statement noted that the role of the Supreme Court is to uphold the laws and to interpret them in light of internationally-recognized human rights standards, not to undermine them. ."In this case, the spirit and purpose of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, among other domestic legal requirements, have not been met", read the statement further. .Citing the glaring hardship faced by the displaced as a result of the eviction amidst the pandemic, the UN experts appealed to the Indian government to reconsider the demolition by reminding of its own goal to eliminate homelessness by 2022..“We appeal to the Indian government to respect its own laws and its own goal of eliminating homelessness by 2022 and to spare homes of 100,000 people who mostly come from minority and marginalised communities ... It is particularly important that residents be kept safe during the pandemic" the UN experts said..It was further highlighted that the lockdown posed excruciating difficulties not only financially but also psychologically. To add to this distress, the eviction will disturb over 20,000 children – many of whom may remain out of school - and 5,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women, it was highlighted..Concern was also expressed that water and electricity were cut off several weeks ago, and that stakeholders organizing protests were alleged to have been beaten by police and arbitrarily detained. There have also been arbitrary orders against the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly, the experts added..The UN experts, including Special Rapporteurs and Human rights advocates, urged India, which is currently a part of the Human Rights Council, to ensure that its policies and practices fully comply with international human rights standards governing relocations, evictions, and internal displacement especially on government’s own land..“No one should be forcibly evicted without adequate and timely compensation and redress”, they said..Even as Faridabad Municipal Corporation is continuing with the top court ordered Khori Gaon demolition, another plea has been moved by the Priwasee Sangthan Welfare Society urging the Supreme Court to stay the demolition. This plea is slated to be heard on Monday. .Another plea in Supreme Court to halt Khori Gaon demolition; third in two months