Story perspectives

SC Orders Meerut to Seal 16,726 Structures

By Drooid · Sep 28, 2026, 4:12 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

India’s Supreme Court ordered Uttar Pradesh to seal 16,726 structures in Meerut and begin demolition.
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan told residents to vacate before sealing.
The order listed 12,907 residential, 874 residential-cum-non-residential and 2,945 non-residential buildings in Zone-A.
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia will chair a commission to probe land ownership, MDA inactivity and collusion.
The bench warned officers of liability for demolition deaths and set a Dec 9, 2026 hearing.

History

Historical Context

In December 1996 the Supreme Court, hearing M.C. Mehta’s PIL, ordered demolition of more than 1,200 illegal Ganga-bank structures and banned polluting industries in the Taj Trapezium Zone. Building on that precedent, a 2024 Uttar Pradesh bench sealed 16,726 Meerut encroachments, prompting the state to allocate billions for compliance monitoring.

1 of 2

Story summary

India’s Supreme Court ordered Uttar Pradesh to seal 16,726 structures in Meerut and begin demolition.
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan told residents to vacate before sealing.
The order listed 12,907 residential, 874 residential-cum-non-residential and 2,945 non-residential buildings in Zone-A.
Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia will chair a commission to probe land ownership, MDA inactivity and collusion.
The bench warned officers of liability for demolition deaths and set a Dec 9, 2026 hearing.

1 / 2