The News
India’s Supreme Court banned the use of so-called “bulldozer justice,” the government demolition of homes by state officials to punish those accused of crimes that activists said was a tactic predominantly used by Hindu nationalist authorities against the minority Muslim community.
The ruling required governments to give sufficient time to residents or business owners to legally challenge such moves or to vacate their property, with justices arguing that “such highhanded and arbitrary actions have no place in a constitutional democracy.”
SIGNALS
The ruling risks being ignored
Amnesty International’s research into the use of so-called “bulldozer justice” found that such demolitions were enacted without following the due process safeguards mandated by domestic and international human rights law. Although rights groups welcomed the court’s decision, “it is up against a political logic that is becoming increasingly widespread,” The Indian Express argued in an editorial, noting other instances such as hate speech or vigilante justice in which Hindu nationalists have largely ignored court rulings.
Hopes of ‘respite’ for Muslims post-election, but attacks continue
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure an outright majority in the recent election, which fueled some hope that the country’s Muslims would see “respite” from years of being targeted for their religious beliefs, The Diplomat wrote, and restored faith in their power to shape Indian politics. But post-election, Muslims say attacks against them have continued under the BJP-led coalition: “Merely having fewer seats in Parliament will not bring a change…[The BJP has] completely taken over the culture, society, and bureaucracy, which will take time to weaken,” one activist told Al Jazeera.