Tanisha Rana
Published on: September 9, 2022 at 22:36 IST
Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, sought to have a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) lawsuit against the proposed renovation of the Sabarmati Ashram dismissed by the Gujarat High Court on Thursday [Tushar Arun Gandhi v. State of Gujarat].
The initiative would promote the principles and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, according to a bench made up of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh J Shastri.
“The said Gandhi Ashram would be a place for learning for mankind of all age groups,” the bench noted.
The court officially acknowledged Advocate General (AG) Kamal Trivedi’s claim that the current Gandhi Ashram wouldn’t be disturbed or changed.
The plea was dismissed as a result.
After a Supreme Court panel referred the matter to the High Court for a thorough hearing, the Court was debating whether the State government’s resolution for a major redevelopment of the Gandhi Ashram was subject to being overturned.
The Gujarat government’s argument that the proposed redevelopment would not disrupt the ashram and would solely rebuild the 55 acres of property surrounding the ashram was taken into consideration by the Gujarat High Court when it previously dismissed the case.
The High Court had been briefed by the AG that the 55 acres of property around the Sabarmati Ashram, which encompasses a 1-acre space, will be developed.
The High Court was accused of dismissing the appeal and refusing to invalidate the Government Resolution based on a “limited misleading statement made by the Advocate General without taking into account the objections presented by the petitioner,” according to an appeal filed before the Supreme Court.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant heard the case and sent it back to the High Court for further consideration before reaching a new verdict.
The High Court then reheard the case before dismissing the argument.