Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court fined a gram panchayat in Anand district Rs 1.2 lakh on Tuesday for demolishing illegal roadside properties of six villagers without following proper procedure, directing that the fine be paid to the affected residents.
On June 8, the panchayat issued another notice, intimating to the property owners that it would demolish the properties, which spread over 256 metres of land. Through advocate Prashant Chavda, they contended that the panchayat had not followed due procedure laid down in Sections 105 and 55(2) of the Panchayat Act. They told the court they were also not given time to appeal against the demolition order, which the panchayat claimed was passed as a resolution on June 1.
Because the demolition of the properties was carried out on panchayat land, justice Nikhil Kariel rejected the petitioners’ grievance regarding demolition. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad Stay updated with the latest Ahmedabad news.
But the court imposed a fine for the procedural lapse and said, “Since the gram panchayat appears to have resorted to the process of demolition without following any due process of law, cost quantified at Rs 1.2 lakh, that is Rs 20,000 per person, is imposed upon the gram panchayat to be paid to each of the petitioners. ” HC directed DDO “to conduct an inquiry into the issue of whether the panchayat passed a resolution dated June 1, 2026 before the demolition had been effected or whether it was an afterthought/back dated and whereas appropriate action upon the result of the inquiry be taken by DDO, Anand”. HC also directed the district development officer (DDO) to conduct an inquiry into the panchayat’s procedural lapse and take action against those responsible based on the inquiry’s outcome. In this case, Samarkha gram panchayat in Anand district had issued three notices in May to six persons of the Patel community, asking them to remove their properties encroaching on a public road. The demolition took place, and the six property owners approached HC. Download the TOI App.
They claimed they never received the demolition order and that their objections to the earlier notices were completely disregarded before the order was issued.
It claimed to have served the resolution on the petitioners on June 22. HC questioned the authenticity of the panchayat’s resolution passed on June 1 and said it could be backdated. Before HC, the panchayat relied on the district inspector of land records’ (DILR) report, which reflected that the properties were situated on the public road. HC summoned the district development officer, who submitted that due procedure was not followed and that she would inquire into it.