Land acquisition for development project ‘Palace of Sachin’: Take no coercive action, HC directs Surat civic body
Royal family moved court seeking direction to preserve palace from demolition.
The Gujarat High Court has ordered the Surat Municipal Corporation not to take any coercive action against the Palace of Sachin in a land acquisition dispute. (Image via Summer Palace Dumas) The Gujarat High Court on Friday directed that the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) take “no coercive action” in the case of the Palace of Sachin in Surat, following a plea by members of the royal family of the Nawab of Sachin over the land acquisition process initiated by the SMC for a development project.
The plea, moved by Sidi Mohammed Reza Khan, Sidi Mohammed Faisal Khan and Farah Nasrulla Khan against the SMC and the Executive Engineer of the South Zone B Kanakpur seeks direction to the SMC to alter the marking of the land acquisition to preserve the palace from demolition.
The court considered the submissions of the Senior Advocate, who appeared for the petitioners, stating that they “agreed to surrender” an open area plot or “willing to shift the line a little upwards so that the palace is not demolished.” The advocate appearing for SMC submitted that action would be initiated after the petitioners surrendered the land.
The court, orally in an order, issued a notice and directed the SMC to take “no coercive” action. “The (petitioner) has submitted that pursuant to a notice dated October 29, 2025, the possession of the area of land which the petitioner has surrendered is directed to be taken within a period of seven days. The petitioners are not against surrender of the land. The only request… for surrender in upward measurement would save the constructed palace… or alternative land available to the petitioner.”
The court issued notice to the SMC and orally directed, “No coercive action with regard to construction of a palace which is subject of this petition to be taken till the next date of hearing.”
The court will hear the matter on February 23.
Quasre Sultan Summer Palace
The Quasre Sultan Summer Palace or the Palace of Sachin is a testimony of the opulence and cultural heritage of the Sachin dynasty, which has Abyssinian roots. As per the official website of the palace the palace was “envisioned as a serene retreat for the Nawabs”. Constructed between 1905 and 1911 by Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Khan III under the , the palace is a harmonious reflection of early Indo-French Gothic architecture.
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