The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday refused to pause the ongoing eviction drive in Haldwani (Uttarakhand) but asked the state government to check whether the families living there are eligible for housing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (PMAY). The eviction pertains to thousands of people living near the Haldwani Railway Station on land that the Railway Department claims is its own.

A Bench of the Supreme Court consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said it would not stay (stop) the eviction order. However, the court acknowledged that many families would be affected and could lose their homes if the eviction went ahead. Because of this, the Bench directed the state to assess which families qualify for government housing support under PMAY and to submit a detailed report before the next court hearing.

During the hearing, the Supreme Court made an important clarification about what it called the people living on the disputed land. The Bench said, “We are not calling them ‘encroachers’, we have called them ‘occupants’. When they are being rehabilitated, they can’t be called encroachers.” It stressed that it was highly desirable to check the eligibility of these families under PMAY to reduce the hardship they might face because of displacement.

To make sure that eligible families get a fair chance to benefit from PMAY, the Supreme Court gave several detailed instructions:

• The Collector and revenue officials of Nainital and Haldwani districts must provide PMAY application forms to the people living in the affected area. This will help them apply for housing support.
• The Uttarakhand State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) has been instructed to set up rehabilitation camps at the eviction site. These camps are to begin on March 18. The Member Secretary of the SLSA must be present at the site once the camps open.
• The court also asked the district administration to fully support the SLSA and help it run the process smoothly.
• The Bench said it expects this entire process of verification to be mostly done by March 31. If needed, multiple camps can be organised at different places or dates.
• The SLSA is allowed to involve counsellors, social activists, and others. It can also carry out door-to-door outreach campaigns so that as many people as possible know about the PMAY scheme and how to apply.
• The Collector or another authorised official has to prepare a family-wise eligibility status report. This means they must check each family living there to see who qualifies for PMAY benefits and then submit this report to the Supreme Court.

The court said that after reviewing this report, it would consider what should happen to those who do not qualify for the housing benefit in future hearings.

The eviction drive is happening because the land near the railway station is considered to be part of the railway area, and officials say many families have been living there without proper rights. The move to verify PMAY eligibility aims to reduce the hardship that may be caused when people are forced to move from their homes.

By ordering these steps, the Supreme Court has tried to balance the need for eviction with the social responsibility of protecting vulnerable families. It has not stopped the eviction but has set up a process that could help many affected households receive government housing support before they are displaced.