NEW DELHI: In the early hours of Thursday, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) arrived in Mayur Vihar, Delhi with the intention of demolishing some temples. They were accompanied by a large number of security forces, but the local residents began protesting, causing the DDA team to halt their demolition plans. The situation eventually escalated to the Supreme Court, which heard the petition on Thursday morning and instructed the petitioners to seek relief from the Delhi High Court.
MLA Ravinder Negi from Patparganj spilled the beans that the DDA’s demolition party got shut down after Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stepped in. He even posted some pics on social media to show how the High Court’s orders to knock down temples in Mayur Vihar Phase 2 were being challenged. The DDA and the cops tried to do their thing, but the locals weren’t having it. They stood their ground from 3 am onwards to protect their temple.
पटपड़गंज विधानसभा के मयूर विहार फेस 2 में स्थित मंदिरों को तोड़ने के लिए हाई कोर्ट के आदेशानुसार DDA की टीम पुलिस बल के साथ पहुंची। लेकिन हम रात 3 बजे से ही वहां मौजूद रहे और हर संभव प्रयास किया कि हमारी आस्था का प्रतीक यह मंदिर सुरक्षित रहे।
— Ravinder Singh Negi (@ravinegi4bjp) March 20, 2025
माननीय मुख्यमंत्री रेखा गुप्ता जी,… pic.twitter.com/2gVqLqmYjC
The MLA mentioned that after chatting with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, LG VK Saxena, and the MP, they decided to call off the demolition and send the police packing. Thanks to the Chief Minister’s quick action, the temple was saved. The temple means a lot to the community, and they’re not about to let it go without a fight.
Apparently, the DDA team showed up to knock down some ancient temples that were encroaching on the green belt, as ordered by the High Court. They gave notices saying the temples were in the wrong spot. But the locals weren’t having it and put up a fight.
The Supreme Court told the petitioner to take their case to the Delhi High Court. The petition, filed by lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, pointed out that the officials had posted a notice the night before, saying the temples were getting demolished on March 20, 2025, at 4 am.
The petition also mentioned that the temples didn’t get a fair chance to defend themselves before the demolition. No DDA official or religious committee member gave them a
The petition brought attention to the fact that the temples were not given a chance to have a hearing with any DDA official or religious committee. It was mentioned in the petition that these temples have been around for 35 years. What’s interesting is that the DDA had allowed the Kali Bari Committee to hold Durga Puja in front of the temple on the same land. This makes you wonder about how fair and transparent the decision-making process is when it comes to the temples’ rights and usage.
