India, the 62nd year of its Independence is still grappling with unmet basic housing needs of hundreds of thousands of its citizens. The world's largest democracy has millions of people living in conditions that cannot be called adequate by the farthest stretch of imagination. While a section of India 's teaming million is a witness to a historical economic boost another larger section live on pavements, unauthorized slums, squatter settlements, bastis and is under the constant threat of forced eviction. The decisions of the Supreme Court and some High Courts of the country have not been very consistent. The courts, however, have not been very unswerving in interpreting housing as a fundamental human right of all citizens. In some recent judgments, not only have they failed to uphold this right, but have actually regressed on their earlier rulings.
