Demolition without prior notice, HC seeks reply

Gujarat High Court has sought a reply from officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) in this case where a woman's home in Surat's Vadod was razed without prior notice or intimation.

Sadhana Badgujar, the petitioner, is a mother of a seven-year-old child who cannot speak, walk, or feed himself and has a 96% physical disability.

She lives in Satyanarayannagar in Vadod with her husband and two children, one of whom is severely disabled.

The family purchased plots numbered 16 and 17 in the mentioned locality and later paid the municipal tax bills, water connection fees, and had an electricity connection.

About a year ago, the woman spent over ₹9 lakh to renovate the property, which has a current value of over ₹30 lakh.

According to the petition, on October 1, 2024, officials from Surat Municipal Corporation, including S D Prajapati, P B Bhoya, Chandresh Patadia, Fenil Mehta, and Mayur Patel, arrived at the woman's home early in the morning.