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Villagers in Uttar Pradesh's Sikandarpur Complain Against Construction of Temple over Village Pond

Reported by

Aashish Deep

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Published on

August 30, 2017

May 20, 2022

Edited on

August 30, 2017

State

Uttar Pradesh

Sector

Land Use

People Affected by Conflict

960

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

228

ha

Starting Year

2015

Location of Conflict

Sikandarpur

Lucknow

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Encroachment by Non-Right Holders (Other than Caste-based)

Land Conflict Summary

A complaint against encroachment over a pond in Sikanderpur Inayat Ali village in Jankipuram ward in Lucknow has been filed by the village residents. The villagers claim that the encroachers are constructing a temple over the pond after filling it. Complaints were also filed with local authorities like Nagar Nigam and Lucknow Development Authority, but they did not take any action against the illegal construction. An FIR has also been filed in Gudamba Thana. Locals have also raised the issue in front of the Municipal Commissioner.
This had been a state wide issue. A PIL of similar nature was filed by a person from Rajpur village of Agra claiming the the village pond was being encroached. In November 2019, the high court delivered a judgement taking cognisance about the statewide encroachments over village ponds. The court has ordered that every District collector of the state should order the Additional District Magistrate to prepare a list of the ponds and encroachment on them. The court has ordered all the district collectors to remove encroachments from the ponds and restore them. The court has directed the Chief Secretary to set up a monitoring committee in this context in consultation with the chairman of the Revenue Council. The order was given by a division bench of Justice PKS Baghel and Justice Piyush Aggarwal on a PIL by the Support India Welfare Society Agra.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Legislations/Policies Involved

Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950
Section 4 (Vesting of estates in the State); Section 117 (Vesting of certain lands, etc. in Gaon Sabhas and other local authorities) 
Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Rules, 1952
Rule 111 (Duty of the Secretary to report all cases of damage or encroachment upon the property of Gram Sabha to the Collector); Rule 115C (duty of the Land Management Committee to preserve or protect from damage, misappropriation and wrongful occupation of all properties vested under it) 
Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006
Section 136 (Ejectment of trespassers of Gaon Sabha land)
Constitution of India, 1950
Article 21
  1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  3. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  4. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  5. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  6. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  7. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Lack of legal protection over land rights

Legal Status:

In Court

Status of Case In Court

Disposed

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Allahabad High Court

Case Number

PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 4502 of 2018; PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 1474 of 2019

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

PIL No. 4502 of 2018 Order dated 04.10.2018: The petitioners prayed that the Court order a writ of mandamus to redeem and restore the status of pond standing over a plot in Agra. The High Court directed the petitioner to approach the District Magistrate, Agra. PIL No. 1474 of 2019 Order dated 26.07.2019: The petitioners claimed that the Collector, Agra found that there had been encroachment over the concerned land and it directed the Nagar Nigam, Agra to get the encroachment removed and report the status of plot in question by order dated 06.05.2019. However, no action had been taken since then. PIL No. 1474 of 2019 Order dated 16.09.2019: The High Court relied on Supreme Court judgement in Jagpal Singh & Ors. Vs. State of Punjab & Ors. AIR 2011 SC 1123 where the Court had issued directions to all the State Governments in the country for the eviction of the illegal and unauthorized occupants of the Gram Sabha's land. It directed the Chief Secretary of the State of Uttar Pradesh to constitute a Committee in consultation with the Chairman, Board of Revenue, which shall monitor the compliance of the judgements of the Supreme Court and the High Court. It shall meet every three to four months to monitor the progress of the restoration of ponds. The Collectors of each District of the State were directed to entrust the Additional District Magistrate (Finance & Revenue) to make a list of ponds which are recorded in the revenue records in the year 1951-52 and cancel the lease of the ponds and restore the ponds in accordance with the law.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Additional Information

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Lucknow Development Authority

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Village Residents

Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Resources

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Images

Image Credit:  

Image Credit:  

Video

A complaint against encroachment over a pond in Sikanderpur Inayat Ali village in Jankipuram ward in Lucknow has been filed by the village residents. The villagers claim that the encroachers are constructing a temple over the pond after filling it. Complaints were also filed with local authorities like Nagar Nigam and Lucknow Development Authority, but they did not take any action against the illegal construction. An FIR has also been filed in Gudamba Thana. Locals have also raised the issue in front of the Municipal Commissioner.
This had been a state wide issue. A PIL of similar nature was filed by a person from Rajpur village of Agra claiming the the village pond was being encroached. In November 2019, the high court delivered a judgement taking cognisance about the statewide encroachments over village ponds. The court has ordered that every District collector of the state should order the Additional District Magistrate to prepare a list of the ponds and encroachment on them. The court has ordered all the district collectors to remove encroachments from the ponds and restore them. The court has directed the Chief Secretary to set up a monitoring committee in this context in consultation with the chairman of the Revenue Council. The order was given by a division bench of Justice PKS Baghel and Justice Piyush Aggarwal on a PIL by the Support India Welfare Society Agra.

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)

Total investment involved (in Crores):

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

When did it end?

Why did the conflict end?

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Legislations/Policies Involved

Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950
Section 4 (Vesting of estates in the State); Section 117 (Vesting of certain lands, etc. in Gaon Sabhas and other local authorities) 
Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Rules, 1952
Rule 111 (Duty of the Secretary to report all cases of damage or encroachment upon the property of Gram Sabha to the Collector); Rule 115C (duty of the Land Management Committee to preserve or protect from damage, misappropriation and wrongful occupation of all properties vested under it) 
Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006
Section 136 (Ejectment of trespassers of Gaon Sabha land)
Constitution of India, 1950
Article 21
  1. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  2. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  3. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  4. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  5. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  6. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

  7. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Lack of legal protection over land rights

Legal Status:

In Court

Status of Case In Court

Disposed

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Allahabad High Court

Case Number

PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 4502 of 2018; PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION (PIL) No. - 1474 of 2019

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

PIL No. 4502 of 2018 Order dated 04.10.2018: The petitioners prayed that the Court order a writ of mandamus to redeem and restore the status of pond standing over a plot in Agra. The High Court directed the petitioner to approach the District Magistrate, Agra. PIL No. 1474 of 2019 Order dated 26.07.2019: The petitioners claimed that the Collector, Agra found that there had been encroachment over the concerned land and it directed the Nagar Nigam, Agra to get the encroachment removed and report the status of plot in question by order dated 06.05.2019. However, no action had been taken since then. PIL No. 1474 of 2019 Order dated 16.09.2019: The High Court relied on Supreme Court judgement in Jagpal Singh & Ors. Vs. State of Punjab & Ors. AIR 2011 SC 1123 where the Court had issued directions to all the State Governments in the country for the eviction of the illegal and unauthorized occupants of the Gram Sabha's land. It directed the Chief Secretary of the State of Uttar Pradesh to constitute a Committee in consultation with the Chairman, Board of Revenue, which shall monitor the compliance of the judgements of the Supreme Court and the High Court. It shall meet every three to four months to monitor the progress of the restoration of ponds. The Collectors of each District of the State were directed to entrust the Additional District Magistrate (Finance & Revenue) to make a list of ponds which are recorded in the revenue records in the year 1951-52 and cancel the lease of the ponds and restore the ponds in accordance with the law.

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

No items found.

Whether criminal law was used against protestors:

Reported Details of the Violation:

Date of Violation

Location of Violation

Nature of Protest

Complaints/petitions/letters/memorandums to officials

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

Lucknow Development Authority

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Village Residents

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Image Credit:  

Image Credit:  

Documented By

Text Link

Reviewed By

Text Link

Updated By

Text Link

Edited By

Text LinkLand Conflict Watch

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