Govt’s Sabarmati Ashram revamp in Ahmedabad runs into resistance — one family holds out

The Dalit family, comprising Rathod’s wife, children and other relatives, occupy the house — located near a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar — as tenants.

The redevelopment of the Ashram, set up by Mahatma

Gandhi on the banks of the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, is being implemented jointly by the Central and state governments, under the Mahatma Gandhi Sabarmati Ashram Memorial Trust. Its masterplan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2024, and the state government hopes to finish the project by 2027.

Three properties located on the Ashram premises – A, B and C – however, have been in litigation before the Small Causes Court in Ahmedabad. Property B comprises the residential area where the Rathods are now the lone residents, while Properties A and C are plots of land measuring together 6,000 sq yards.

The Rathods claim that all the three properties were handed over to their ancestors by a trustee of the Ashram, sometime in 1930.

The Rathods sought an order to restrain the trust from dispossessing them of the three properties, and applied for an injunction order in 2014, while claiming tenancy rights.

In 2019, the Small Causes Court granted injunction for Property B, but did not give any relief for Properties A and C. An appellate court upheld the order, after which the Rathods moved a revision application before the Gujarat High Court, which too did not give them any relief in June 2025.

Sources said the family has not challenged this order yet, even as they continue to occupy the house.

To facilitate the Ashram redevelopment, one of the first steps taken by the BJP government was offering alternative accommodation or monetary compensation to people living on the premises, so that the properties owned by various trusts connected with the Ashram could be vacated. Officials said this part was “the most sensitive” aspect of the project, with the stress being on avoiding controversy.

Most of the occupants – known as “Ashramwasis” – claimed a long association with the Ashram, with their forefathers having moved in along with Mahatma Gandhi in the early 1900s. A top official said: “People had to be convinced to vacate their properties, and the compensation package had to be negotiated.”

Official sources said that of the 256 families which accepted resettlement and have moved out include 43 which opted for four-BHK flats, 16 for homes in a government-built society, and 24 for a cooperative and housing society near the Ashram. Besides the above, 173 accepted monetary compensation, amounting to between Rs 60 lakh and Rs 90 lakh, depending on the units they occupied.

“Only one residential building remains to be vacated,” an official said, referring to the Rathods’ case in court.

Rathod’s son Krunal refused to talk about the legal issue, while other family members did not entertain any queries on it.

Sources connected with the project said they were confident of winning the case. “We are committed to giving everyone a fair compensation for eviction (including the Rathods) since it has been established that they are tenants. We have moved for expediency of the proceedings in the Small Cases Court so that it does not stall the project.”