The Supreme Court on Friday refused to halt the demolition of a Pracheen Shiv Mandir situated at Geeta Colony close to the Yamuna floodplains.

A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih upheld the May 29 judgment of the Delhi High Court refusing to quash the demolition order.

A bench of Justice Dharmesh Sharma of the high court granted Prachin Shiv Mandir Avam Akhada Samiti 15 days time to remove the idols and other religious objects in the temple and ordered the petitioner society and its members to not cause any impediment or obstacles in the demolition process.

“There could be no iota of doubt that Lord Shiva would be happier if the Yamuna riverbed and the floodplains areas are cleared of all encroachments and unauthorised construction,” the high court had said.

It added that the petitioner society has miserably failed to place on record any documents with regard to its title, right, or interest in the subject land in question, and there is no proof on record of the temple in question having any historical significance.

In its plea, the management society asserted that no formal notice or order was given and instead, the devotees were verbally apprised that their Pracheen Mandir would be demolished.

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