Overview
- The court on Wednesday stayed eviction action in 25 contested locations until June 30, pausing demolitions where petitions had been filed.
- Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya directed the railways to physically verify each site, examine title and revenue records, explain the legal basis for every notice and report on occupants who were earlier permitted to operate.
- Eastern Railway has already carried out bulldozer‑led clearances at other stations not covered by the stay, with a recent night operation at Krishnanagar that removed shops and a CITU office and drew protests and brief scuffles with police.
- Railway divisions have pasted fresh notices with early‑July dates for drives in some areas such as Barasat and Sealdah, but those planned operations will depend on the court's verification reports and orders.
- Shopkeepers and hawkers say the drives threaten livelihoods and allege some parcels may not belong to the railways, so the court’s focus on records and alternatives shifts the dispute from immediate removal to a legal review that will affect future clearances.