BJP’s Bulldozer Justice Exposed: Supreme Court Verdict Confirms Assault on Rule of Law

The Supreme Court of India, in its landmark verdict on March 24, 2025, has exposed and condemned the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led regimes’ bulldozer tactics as a violation of constitutional rights. The court’s ruling on the 2021 Prayagraj demolitions explicitly labeled the Yogi Adityanath government’s actions as “high-handed” and in breach of Article 21, which guarantees the right to shelter as intrinsic to life and liberty. The court found that five innocent citizens—including a lawyer, a professor, and two widows—had their homes razed within 24 hours, under the flimsy pretext of association with the late Atiq Ahmed.

The Prayagraj demolitions were not an isolated incident. Since 2017, the Adityanath government has demolished over 60,000 structures, disproportionately targeting Muslim families and the poor. The Supreme Court’s ruling reinforces what human rights groups and opposition leaders have long decried—that the BJP’s so-called “bulldozer justice” is a mockery of legal principles. It bypasses courts, denies fair trials, and inflicts collective punishment on families—widows, children, and the elderly—who lose their homes for crimes they did not commit. The SDPI deplores this policy as a deliberate strategy of intimidation, discrimination, and lawless governance.

The BJP’s bulldozer politics has now spread to Maharashtra, where on March 22, 2025, Devendra Fadnavis issued a menacing threat to use bulldozers against alleged rioters in Nagpur. This provocative statement came in the wake of communal clashes on March 17, triggered by provocative protests from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. On March 24, just days after Fadnavis’s remarks, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation swiftly demolished parts of the home of Fahim Khan, a Muslim leader accused in the clashes, citing planning violations. This rushed action—without the mandated 15-day notice or right to appeal—reveals a communal bias and political motive, violating the Supreme Court’s November 2024 guidelines on demolitions.

The Social Democratic Party of India unequivocally condemns these unlawful and authoritarian excesses and demands an immediate halt to this state-sponsored oppression.

The Supreme Court’s November 2024 guidelines explicitly prohibit punitive demolitions. These directives mandate a 15-day notice period before demolition, a right to appeal for the accused and strict adherence to municipal planning laws—not political vendettas. Yet, BJP-run states brazenly disregard these rules, treating the judiciary’s orders as optional while prioritizing political optics over constitutional duty.

The SDPI urges the judiciary to take strict action against officials violating these directives. Mere guidelines without enforcement cannot stop this bulldozer-driven tyranny.

BM Kamble
National Vice President
Social Democratic Party of India