The Nagpur Municipal Commissioner tendered an unconditional apology to the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Tuesday (April 15), for demolishing a house without following Supreme Court-mandated procedures.

The demolition targeted the residence of Fahim Khan, who has been accused in connection with the communal violence that erupted in Nagpur on March 17.

According to a report in The Times of India, Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, in an affidavit submitted to the court, stated that officials from the civic body's town planning and slum departments were unaware of the Supreme Court’s November 13, 2024 order, which laid down procedural safeguards for demolishing properties linked to those accused in communal unrest.

The case came before the High Court following petitions filed by Khan’s parents—96-year-old Abdul Hafiz and 69-year-old Mehrunissa—who argued that the demolition was carried out arbitrarily, in violation of apex court directives. Acting on the plea, the court had earlier, on March 25, stayed further demolitions in the area.

Chaudhari admitted in his affidavit that the civic administration had not circulated the Supreme Court’s ruling to relevant departments, including executive engineers and other competent authorities.

He also mentioned that the action was initiated at the request of Nagpur Police, which had asked the municipal body to act against allegedly illegal structures. A survey conducted by the authorities reportedly found the demolished house lacked prior sanction.

The division bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Vrushali Joshi granted the Maharashtra government a final two-week window to explain its failure to communicate the Supreme Court’s order to local officials.