Surat resident moves Gujarat High Court citing Nasirnagar demolition, municipal body says ‘no plan’

Court disposes of petition after SMC says ‘if any action is proposed in future, it would first issue notice and follow the procedure prescribed under law’.

3 min readVadodaraUpdated: Aug 3, 2026 10:28 PM IST

Surat resident moves Gujarat HC citing Nasirnagar, SMC says no demolition plan

Twenty-six affected residents have separately approached the Gujarat High Court challenging the demolition, alleging that the civic body razed their homes without following due process. (Express Photo)

Fearing that his house would meet the same fate as the adjacent Nasirnagar slum, which was demolished by the Surat Municipal Corporation on May 30, a Surat resident moved the Gujarat High Court to seek assurance that no demolition would be carried out without notice and due process.

The High Court on Monday disposed of the petition after the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) assured that it has no immediate plans to raze the property and that, if any action is proposed in future, it would first issue notice and follow the procedure prescribed under law.

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Justice Nikhil Kariel recorded the statement of the corporation on Monday, and directed that the civic body “take appropriate steps in accordance with law” if it intends to initiate any coercive action against the petitioner’s property. The court observed that “nothing further is required to be done” in view of the assurance given by the corporation.

The petition was filed by Shaikh Husain Ajij through advocate Zamir Shaikh, who submitted that the petition had been moved because of an apprehension that the petitioner’s residential accommodation would also be demolished after the corporation razed adjacent premises (Nasirnagar).

On behalf of the SMC, advocate Anuj Trivedi informed the court that the controversy surrounding the demolition drive is already under consideration in a separate petition before the court and therefore, as the petitioner’s property was concerned, the Corporation was “not intending to demolish the same as of now.”

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He further assured the court that if any action were contemplated in future, the petitioner would be “issued appropriate notice” and “the procedure as per the law would be followed.”

The petition comes in the wake of the demolition of houses in Nasirnagar slums in Surat on May 30, which sparked a controversy. Twenty-six affected residents have separately approached the Gujarat High Court challenging the demolition, alleging that the civic body razed their homes without following due process. Those petitions continue to be heard by the Single Judge Bench of Justice Kariel, which has raised concerns over the legality of the demolition, the accountability of officials, resulting in the State government’s decision to institute a high-level inquiry into the incident.

Aditi Raja

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More

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