Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj police have registered a criminal complaint against 26 persons including a former district magistrate and several police and administrative officials for illegally demolishing the house of a senior journalist Manoj Tibrewal Akash.

Manoj Tibrewal Akash is the founder and editor-in-chief of Dynamite News.

The 26 persons have been charged with 16 offences, including that of criminal conspiracy, disobeying the law and forging documents, The Wire reported.

On September 13, 2019, Tibrewal’s two-story building and shop situated in Mohalla Hamid Nagar were bulldozed for highway widening sans prior legal notice or compensation.

The demolition reportedly followed after Tibrewal’s father lodged a complaint citing alleged irregularities and corruption in the construction of the 21-km stretch of the National Highway-730 at a cost of Rs 185 crore.

The matter was published in local newspapers. Following the expose, Tibrewal alleged that the district magistrate, along with associate officials, government engineers, and contractors, began harbouring a grudge against his family.

On the day of the demolition, the senior journalist, in his complaint stated that his family was forcibly evicted without allowing them to retrieve personal belongings. This act took place in the presence of the police force.

The case took a pivotal twist on November 6, 2024, when the Supreme Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to Tibrewal’s family.

The three-member bench including the former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud called for criminal action against the concerned officials and said, “Bulldozer justice is simply unacceptable under the rule of law.”