Allahabad High Court condemns Ayodhya shop evictions without relief

The Allahabad High Court questioned the eviction of Ayodhya shopkeepers for a super-speciality hospital. The ruling underscores that public projects cannot override leasehold and livelihood rights.Stock photo used for illustrationLucknow,Oct 23, 2026 18:04 ISTThe Allahabad High Court has termed the eviction of shopkeepers in Ayodhya for the construction of a 300-bed super-speciality hospital without rehabilitation or compensation as “highly condemnable”, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The court said that while the hospital was in the public interest, shopkeepers who depended on their businesses for their livelihood could not be evicted without alternative arrangements.The Lucknow bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Amitabh Kumar Rai observed that the shops had been allotted on lease and the occupants had acquired the status of lessees. Asking them to vacate without terminating their leases was unjustified and affected their right to livelihood, violating Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution.The court also stressed the need to rehabilitate the shopkeepers or compensate them for their losses, PTI reported. It directed the Uttar Pradesh Medical and Health Department to file a counter-affidavit within three weeks, explaining the proposed steps for rehabilitating the affected shopkeepers or paying them compensation. The affidavit must be filed by an officer not below the rank of secretary.The order came during the hearing of a petition filed by Mohammad Naeem and five others. The petitioners said the Sitapur Eye Hospital Society, Faizabad, had allotted the shops to them on 30-year leases in 2000. After the required formalities were completed, they were given possession of the shops on February 28, 2000. Under the applicable rules, the leases were to be renewed every 30 years.However, the Ayodhya district magistrate issued a notice on June 26, 2025, directing the shopkeepers to vacate the premises within 15 days. The notice said the land and shops had been transferred to the Medical and Family Welfare Department.The petitioners had earlier approached the High Court, which directed the authorities to maintain the status quo until their representation was decided. In an order dated July 31, 2026, the district magistrate later said the land was needed for the construction of the hospital and that the shopkeepers had no right to continue occupying the premises.The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for November 16, 2026. It has asked the state government to explain how it plans to rehabilitate or compensate the shopkeepers before proceeding with their eviction for the hospital project.- Ends