"Good that a chargesheet has been filed": UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on chargesheet filed against 79 accused in Sambhal violence

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 21 (ANI):Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya applauded the police after chargesheets were filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on the 79 accused people of the Sambhal riots.
Speaking to the media, Maurya said "It is good that a chargesheet has been filed. The police has worked very hard...the criminals have been caught and that is a really good thing. The police will keep doing their work..."
This comes after a stone pelting incident occurred in Sambhal on November 24 during the ASI's examination of the Mughal-era mosque, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to several others, including officials and locals.
Notably, since the Sambhal violence, the district administration has been taking action against illegal encroachment on government lands.
On January 24, the Supreme Court had postponed the hearing of a contempt petition against Uttar Pradesh authorities for one week.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih deferred the matter for one week after the petitioner's lawyer requested an adjournment, citing the unavailability of the arguing counsel.
The petitioner, Mohammed Ghayoor, filed the contempt petition claiming that a part of his property, situated at Sambhal, was demolished by authorities between January 10 and 11, 2025, without any prior notice or hearing, despite the court's directions.
The contempt plea claimed the property (a factory) was the Ghayoor and his family's sole source of income and as such, the action of the authorities has jeopardised their source of livelihood.
On November 13 last year, the top court delivered a judgment and laid down pan-India guidelines saying no property should be demolished without a prior show cause notice and the affected must be given 15 days to respond.
It passed a slew of directions in its November 2024 verdict. It made clear that they would not be applicable if there was an unauthorised structure in a public place such as a road, street, footpath, abutting railway line or any river or water bodies and also in cases where there was an order for demolition made by a court of law. (ANI)