Evicting the Poor Without Rehabilitation Violates the Right to Life: Justice Katju
West Bengal Hawker Evictions Draw Sharp Criticism from Justice Markandey Katju
Beyond Legality: Justice Katju Raises Humanitarian Concerns Over Hawker Evictions
‘How Will They Survive?’: Justice Katju Questions Forced Evictions of Hawkers
Right to Livelihood Under Threat: Justice Katju Opposes Eviction of Kolkata Hawkers
Justice Markandey Katju has strongly criticised the eviction of poor hawkers and stall owners in Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal, arguing that rehabilitation must precede displacement. He says the issue is not merely legal but humanitarian, raising concerns about the constitutional right to life and livelihood under Article 21.
I protest
By Justice Markandey Katju
While I have strongly criticised Mamata Banerji and the TMC, who were mostly goons who terrorised the people of West Bengal, and have shed no tears over their ouster from power, I strongly protest against the drive against poor hawkers and stall owners in Kolkata and elsewhere, who are being forcibly evicted by the authorities.
It is said that these hawkers and stall owners are illegally occupying public land. But then they should have been offered appropriate alternative sites and rehabilitated. They are poor people, and human beings, who are eking out a bare existence with their families by hawking and running these stalls. How will they and their families survive after their eviction? Don't they too have the right to life guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution?
In this connection, I wrote articles about jhuggi jhopri dwellers illegally occupying public land, and said that it is not just a legal problem, but also a humanitarian one. These are given below :
All right-minded people should read these articles and protest against these high-handed acts in West Bengal.
(Justice Katju is a retired Judge of the Supreme Court of India and a former Chairman of the Press Council of India. These are his personal views.)
