Minister G Parameshwara told the legislative council that the government is prepared to demolish even the rented accommodations of drug peddlers.
Published Dec 12, 2025 | 4:16 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 12, 2025 | 4:16 PM
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara.
Synopsis: While the Congress party has criticised the BJP for employing “bulldozer justice”, extrajudicial and illegal demolition of properties, in states under them, this is one of the first instances of a senior Congress party leader advocating for bulldozer action.
The Karnataka government is prepared to go to the extent of demolishing the rented accommodations of peddlers to control drug-related offences across the state, Karnataka Home Minister and senior Congress leader G Parameshwara told the Legislative Council in Belagavi on Thursday, 11 December.
He was responding to a question by MLC K Abdul Jabbar on the rampant drug menace in Bengaluru, Davanagere and coastal districts.
“Foreign nationals, especially students from African countries, are involved in drug peddling. More than 300 foreign nationals staying in Karnataka were arrested for drug peddling and deported to their home countries,” Parameshwara said.
According to the Home Department, 4,168 drug cases were registered in 2024, of which 1,833 cases saw convictions. In 2025 (till 15 November), the number of cases has jumped to 5,747, with 1,079 convictions.
Stating that the government has tracked the owners who have rented out houses to such drug peddlers, Parameshwara said that they would bulldoze the houses if necessary.
While the Congress party has usually criticised the BJP in states where it is in power for such “bulldozer injustice” — instant demolitions mainly targeting those allegedly accused of alleged crimes — this is one of the first instances of a senior Congress party leader advocating for bulldozer action.
Incidentally, the Supreme Court had in November 2024, issued guidelines to curb bulldozer injustice — the practice of demolishing the properties of accused people even before a trial by court of law.
‘Goes against principle of rule of law’
Legal experts argued that no provision in the Constitution empowered the state to carry out demolitions or bulldozer actions against crime accused individuals.
“There is no principle in the rule of law that authorises the state to demolish people’s homes. It was irresponsible for the Home Minister to make such a statement on the floor of the House. If the government is unable to tackle the drug menace through due process, then they should resign,” said Vinay Sreenivasa, advocate and member of the Alternative Law Forum.
Experts also referred to the Supreme Court’s November 2024 judgement that had declared such punitive demolitions as unconstitutional.
Such an action by the executive is contrary to the rule of law and also a violation of the principle of separation of powers, as it is for the judiciary to pronounce on the guilt of a person, a bench of the then Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan said while pronouncing the judgement.
“The chilling sight of a bulldozer demolishing a building, when authorities have failed to follow the basic principles of natural justice and have acted without adhering to the principle of due process, reminds one of a lawless state of affairs, where “might was right”,” the court pronounced.
It further noted that such “high-handed” and “arbitrary actions” have no place in the constitution, which rests on the foundation of ‘the rule of law’.
The judgement came after the North Delhi Municipal Corporation began carrying out a demolition drive against alleged encroachers in the Jahangirpuri area, where communal riots took place in April 2022 during a Hanuman Jayanti procession.
While the drive was ultimately stayed, the petitioners prayed for a declaration that authorities cannot resort to bulldozer actions as a form of punishment.
The top court then laid out clear directions that need to be followed for demolition of illegal properties, including a prior show-cause notice issued 15 days in advance, a personal hearing for the person or entity concerned and a 15-day period for the parties affected to appeal before the demolition is executed.
While it is a first for the Congress, the BJP in Karnataka has made similar calls for bulldozer actions against people allegedly accused of crimes.
In 2022, the then state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel advocated bulldozing houses of those involved in communal flare-ups and riots.
“We need strong laws under which the properties of people who burn public offices and demoralise the police and society are taken over and demolished. This is what we, as a party, tell the government,” Kateel told reporters.
The then Revenue Minister R Ashoka labelled rioters as “traitors who should not have a roof.”
An Amnesty International report based on data between 12 August 2022 and 31 August 2023 found that the demolitions were often carried out under the guise of remedying illegal construction and encroachment.
However, they were enacted without following any of the due process safeguards outlined in domestic law or international human rights law. The organisation further noted that these demolitions took place in predominantly Muslim communities.
“Such demolitions constitute forced evictions, which are prohibited under international human rights law and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) to which India is a state party,” the report said.
Sreenivasa questioned whether there was any real difference between the BJP and the Congress if the latter was now proposing bulldozer actions as well.
“Shouldn’t the police first look within their own department, where cases of drug peddling have surfaced?” he asked.
In September 2025, 11 police officials were suspended for their alleged involvement in selling prescription-only Tydol tablets as narcotics.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
