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The troubles for IAS officer Amarnath Upadhyay and other accused officials have intensified in the case of the illegal demolition of senior journalist Manoj Tibrewal Akash’s ancestral home in Maharajganj. The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the officers’ petition seeking relief, while the Supreme Court and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) have already declared the action unlawful.
IAS Amarnath Upadhyay (File Photo)
Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court has delivered a major setback to the officials involved in the illegal demolition of senior journalist Manoj Tibrewal Aakash’s ancestral home in Maharajganj, outright rejecting their petition. With this decision, the legal troubles for then-District Magistrate IAS Amarnath Upadhyay and other officers have deepened.
The case dates back to September 2019, when the two-story ancestral home and shops of journalist Manoj Tibrewal Aakash, located at the Maharajganj district headquarters, were bulldozed along with all belongings inside, on the orders of then-DM Amarnath Upadhyay. It is alleged that the action was entirely illegal and arbitrary.
The victim journalist filed a complaint with the NHRC. In November 2019, an NHRC team from Delhi arrived in Maharajganj and conducted an on-site investigation. The inquiry report held the officers guilty.
Subsequently, on July 6, 2020, then-NHRC Chairperson and former Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu issued an order directing the state’s Chief Secretary to provide the victim with punitive compensation of ₹5 lakh and take strict departmental and penal action against all guilty officers. Additionally, the DGP was ordered to register an FIR and have the case investigated by the CBCID.
To avoid accountability, the state government and the officers filed a petition (Writ C-13599 of 2020) in the High Court, naming the NHRC and the victim journalist as respondents. On Wednesday, a division bench of Justice Saral Srivastava and Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal dismissed the petition.
Earlier, on November 6, 2024, the Supreme Court had also taken suo motu cognizance of the victim’s four-page letter and clearly stated that the journalist’s house was demolished unlawfully, holding the officers guilty.
Following the Supreme Court’s order, the state’s Chief Secretary awarded the victim ₹25 lakh in punitive compensation along with other restitution amounts. Additionally, on the DGP’s orders, an FIR was registered at the Maharajganj Kotwali against 26 named accused, including then-DM Amarnath Upadhyay, then-ADM Kunj Bihari Agrawal, NH Executive Engineer Manikant Agrawal, engineers, police and district administration officials, and contractors.
The case is currently being investigated by the CBCID. Amarnath Upadhyay now has only five months left until retirement, but he continues to face setbacks from courts and investigative agencies.
His troubles do not end here. In another complaint by the victim journalist, the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta, Justice Sanjay Mishra, found the former DM guilty of illegally amassing disproportionate assets and directed the Chief Secretary to conduct a detailed probe through the UP Police Vigilance Department.
