HC stays govt move to use idgah land for public purpose

In a recent order,the Gujarat High Court has stayed the government move to reserve certain land of a village in Surat district...

In a recent order,the Gujarat High Court has stayed the government move to reserve certain land of a village in Surat district,which is being used as idgah and graveyard by the local Muslims,for public purpose.

The government had reserved the land for road widening under a Town Planning scheme and initiated the process to implement the reservation following which,the trusts administrating the two religious places moved the HC.

The idgah and graveyard,located at Varivav village,are run by Varivav Jumma Masjid and Musafirkhana Varivav Trust Wakaf and Moti Majar Kabrastan Varivav Trust,respectively.

According to the petitioner,both these places have been in existence for over 100 and 400 years respectively. In fact,the graveyard has around 1,000 graves.

The petitioner lawyer,K K Trivedi,said the Urban Development Department has worked out a TP Scheme in which the land in question has been reserved for a Pubic Water Distribution Centre and for a proposed road of Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA).

These plans affect the idgah as well as 120 graves. The trusts had raised objection to the project and yet the government had reportedly gone ahead with the revised schemes.

Trivedi said the Division Bench of Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhyay and Justice M S Shah stayed the government move to implement the reservation of the land and asked the government to file an affidavit in this regard. Further hearing on the petition is scheduled next week.

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