High Court stays demolition of Central Market buildings

The High Court of Karnataka through an interim order has stayed the process of demolishing two Central Market buildings of the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) and has directed the MCC Commissioner not to continue with the demolition till the next date of hearing. The date of next hearing is yet to be notified.

Judge Sachin Shankar Magadum passed the order on Thursday on a petition by M. Ganesh Anchan and nine other traders. The MCC commenced the demolition works om May 26.

The petitioners contented that the MCC Commissioner earlier made an attempt to dispossess them from the building by issuing a public notice on April 7, 2020. They were asked to vacate the building and enable MCC to demolish the structure that was in dilapidated condition.

This notice was questioned and the single judge had passed an interim order. The MCC Commissioner filed an appeal and the Divisional Bench of the High Court did not interfere with the interim order of the single judge. The MCC withdraw the public notice on August 11, 2020.

The petitioners said the MCC Commissioner passed a new order on April 7, 2021 to revoke the permission to vend the market building. The petitioners have been told to hand over the vacant possession by the end of May.

The judge said the new order needs to be examined by the court as there was an imminent threat of dispossession and also demolition of the building. The petitioners are entitled to be granted limited protection in that regard, the judge noted.

This order of the High Court has come a day after the MCC began the process of demolishing the two six-decade-old vegetable and fish market buildings of the Central Market. The MCC started the demolition following an order by the Urban Development Department on May 25.

Mangaluru Smart City Limited will reconstruct new market building under the Smart City Mission.