The Allahabad high court has stayed the demolition of a house in Varanasi’s Dal Mandi area. The Varanasi Nagar Nigam had asked the owner of house no. 39/12 to demolish it within 7 days because it was in a dilapidated condition.
The bench comprising Justice Neeraj Tiwari and Justice Siddharth Nandan passed the order in a petition filed by Syed Abbas Murtaza Shamsi. Senior advocate SFA Naqvi, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the house was not mentioned on a list of dilapidated buildings of January 30, 2026. However, a demolition notice was suddenly sent on April 15, 2026 in the name of a deceased person Shamshu Nisha Begum rendering the whole process “void ab initio (void from the beginning)”.
In its April 30 order, the court directed the advocate for the Nagar Nigam to produce the inspection report of Dal Mandi area dated April 15, 2026, on the basis of which the demolition notice was issued.
“List this case on 07.05.2026, as fresh. Till then, status quo as on date, shall be maintained and no demolition shall take place, in respect of the petitioner’s house.” the bench ordered. The government is constructing Dal Mandi corridor project in Varanasi to widen a 650-metre road from Beniyabagh to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
