The Gujarat High Court rejected an appeal by the Asaram Ashram Trust in a land dispute in Ahmedabad’s Motera area. This decision allows the state government to take over more than 45,000 square meters of land. The court upheld orders to reclaim the land due to breaches of allotment conditions and encroachment.
The Ashram had been allotted around 33,980 square meters for religious purposes decades ago. However, it was found to have expanded its possession to nearly 50,000 square meters. The court emphasized that the Ashram had repeatedly violated government conditions, ruling out any regularization of the illegal occupation.
Government evidence, including GPS-based and satellite mapping, showed that the Ashram had encroached onto government land and the Sabarmati riverbed. The court stated that river land cannot be regularized under any circumstances. The state is now set to proceed with reclaiming possession of the land as per the law.
