New Delhi, July 22 -- The Supreme Court has ordered the demolition of all unauthorised structures, including illegal additions in economically weaker section (EWS) houses and encroachments in setback areas, across Meerut and its outskirts, ruling that illegal constructions cannot be legitimised by the passage of time or official inaction, while also declaring that courts, as guardians of rights, cannot hesitate to tell people things they do not want to hear.

"No man is above the law, and no man is below it; nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it. Obedience to the law is demanded as a right; not asked as a favor. We are guardians of rights, and we have to tell people things they often do not like to hear," a bench o...