The Bombay High Court on Wednesday disposed of a batch of petitions challenging the proposed renaming of the Aurangabad and Osmanabad revenue areas, including district, sub-divisions, taluka and village, as withdrawn by the petitioners. The bench said that the challenge to renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities to Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Dharashiv, respectively, will be heard from October 4. This came after the state government told the bench that the final notification for renaming of district and revenue areas were not issued yet and objections from public invited are still under consideration, therefore, a challenge to proposed renaming of revenue areas at present stage was premature. The court noted that the petitioners can challenge the final notification for renaming of revenue areas once it is issued. Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the Maharashtra government, continued the statement that before the final notification for renaming of revenue areas is issued, the proposed names will not be used in any manner in relation to revenue and district areas by the authorities. A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor was hearing pleas challenging the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad. On February 24, the Union Home Ministry had given a no objection letter for changing the name of Aurangabad city and thereafter, a gazette notification was issued by the state government changing the name of Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in Maharashtra. AG Saraf told the bench that change of name of revenue areas was governed by section 4 of Maharashtra Land Revenue Code that provided powers to the state government to not only alter but abolish the name of such revenue decisions. He said that the draft notification for the same has been issued and the procedure for renaming of revenue areas has commenced. However, final notification is pending as consideration of objections raised by the public for renaming is underway.
