'Issued 458 notices against illegal religious structures': Gujarat govt to High Court

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has issued 458 notices to unauthorised religious structures in public places complying with the Supreme Court's directions, the High Court was told on Tuesday.

The state government contended to have taken effective steps to implement the guidelines and issued 458 notices to the occupants of unauthorised religious structures on public streets, public parks and other public places, a division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal stated in an order.

The government told the HC that 2,607 notices had been published in local newspapers to spread awareness amongst the public, and local religious heads were sensitised in order to promote the removal of unauthorised religious structures from public places.

The HC in 2006 initiated suo motu proceedings regarding a demolition drive undertaken by the Vadodara municipal corporation for the removal of purported religious structures that encroached upon public spaces.

The apex court later issued directions to all the states and Union Territories to identify unauthorised religious structures in public places and formulate a comprehensive policy regarding their removal, relocation, or regularisation.

The HC stated that a Gujarat government resolution, dated April 19, 2024, mandates the committees constituted by municipal corporations and district collectors to submit reports on complying with the SC order to respective departments and that nodal officers are to be appointed to provide detailed data.

"Taking note of the GR, we require the Gujarat home secretary to collect data on the functioning of the committees constituted at the level of the municipal corporation and the district collector," the high court stated.

This data of the decisions taken by the committees for the last quarter shall be placed before the high court on March 4 when the matter is taken up next.

Taking note of the government's submission, the HC noted that the removal, regularisation, or relocation of unauthorised religious structures is being taken up continuously and it's an ongoing process.

The bench said the committee is empowered to review the status of all illegal structures and take steps with reference to either removal, rehabilitation, or regularisation of all structures of a religious nature in public streets, public parks or other public places.

The committee is also required to update the data it collected on such structures, and ensure that no new illegal structures of religious nature are put up in public places, it said.

The HC said the panel should take strict actions, including filing criminal complaints under the provisions of the Land Grabbing Act, against the persons responsible for putting up such illegal structures.

The duties of the revenue department and home department have also been aligned for action against unauthorised religious encroachment on state government land, the bench noted.

The Chief Justice stated concerned commissioners of police/ superintendent of police are required to provide the necessary police force to maintain law and order situation on a priority basis when demolition operations are taken to remove such unauthorised religious structures by the concerned authorities.