Criminal court questions midnight demolition that left families homeless without notice, seeks explanation from top bureaucrats and police chief
BENGALURU – Two months after bulldozers rolled into Fakir Colony in the dead of night, razing nearly 300 shanties and forcing poor families onto the streets, a criminal court has now stepped in. On December 20, 2025, around 4 am, earthmovers accompanied by a heavy police contingent entered the Kogilu Slum Layout, cut power to the area, and began flattening homes while residents were still inside.
No prior notice was served, residents say. Now, the VII ACJM court in Bengaluru has sought detailed reports from senior IAS and IPS officers, including the city police commissioner and the chief commissioner of the Bangalore Greater Bangalore Authority (GBA), directing them to explain their role in the demolition.
The case marks a rare attempt to fix administrative accountability at the highest levels over an eviction drive that critics say violated Supreme Court guidelines and basic human rights.
‘No warning, no notice’: Families describe early morning trauma
Advocate Sudha Katwa, one of the legal activists who visited the site hours after the demolition, described scenes of chaos and despair. “There was no notice, no warning. Women and children were pushed out of their homes before sunrise. People showed us their Aadhaar cards, ration cards and voter IDs. Still, their houses were demolished,” she said.
Residents claimed they were woken by the sound of engines and shouting. Power had been cut hours earlier. Families said they were not allowed to gather belongings, and many alleged they were physically manhandled, rounded up, and detained in police vehicles while their homes were reduced to rubble.
The complaint filed before the court invokes several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including those relating to voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, and lurking house trespass.
Beyond the legal provisions, the human cost has been severe. “Children are still without stable housing, food or access to school. On paper, there may be statements. On the ground, nothing has changed,” Katwa added.
Senior officers named in private criminal complaint
In an unusual move, advocates Umapathi, T. Narasimhamurthy, and Sudha Katwa filed a private complaint before the Bengaluru court, naming five senior officials:
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Maheshwar Rao M, Chief Commissioner of GBA and Administrator
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Pommala Sunil Kumar, Commissioner of Bengaluru North City Corporation
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Karigowda, CEO of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited
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Jagadish, Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban District
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Seemant Kumar Singh, Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City
Advocate Umapathi told the court that the complaint was maintainable even though the petitioners were not personally affected. “We clarified that criminal law can be set in motion by anyone. A crime is against society, not just against an individual,” he said.
The court accepted the complaint, ordered verification and registration of the case, and directed the concerned officials to submit their reports. The matter is scheduled for further proceedings in March.
‘Nothing of this scale happens without senior consent’
Umapathi stressed that executive officers cannot evade responsibility. “The legislature frames policy. It is the executive that implements it. Nothing of this scale can happen without the knowledge and consent of senior officials. That is why they have been named,” he said.
The complaint also refers to guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court in W.P. (Civil) No. 295 of 2022 regarding demolition of structures, arguing that mandatory procedures — including prior notice and due process for slum dwellers — were completely ignored.
Advocate T. Narasimhamurthy pointed to an interim report sent by the State Human Rights Commission to the Chief Secretary. “There were responses from officials, but when we visited the site, nothing had moved. Interim directions were not reflected on the ground,” he said.
He questioned who gave the final order for the demolition, noting that no official written order has been produced. “That will become clear when the court summons the five officers and seeks their explanation,” he said.
Referring to the scale of police deployment, he added: “Sending hundreds of personnel before sunrise and cutting power the previous day shows a complete lack of humane consideration.”
What the petition seeks
The complaint seeks a direction to the Yelahanka Police Station to register a First Information Report (FIR) under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and to prosecute the accused officers under relevant BNS sections. It also calls for institutional accountability at higher levels, explicitly stating that action should not be limited to field-level staff.
For the displaced families of Kogilu, the court proceedings now represent their only hope. “When administrators fail, the court becomes the place where the poor can seek justice,” Narasimhamurthy said.
As the March hearing approaches, residents wait to see whether the law will address what they describe as a night of fear, loss, and lasting hardship — and whether senior officials will finally be held accountable for the bulldozers that erased an entire colony before sunrise.
