A piece of prime Ahmedabad land, long held by the ashram of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, is set to make way for a state-of-the-art sports complex. The Gujarat High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Sant Shri Asaram Ashram against a state order. The state can now reclaim roughly 45,000 square metres of government land near the Narendra Modi Stadium, according to reports.
Sant Shri Asaram Ashram is a spiritual and cultural organisation established in 1972 by Asaram Bapu.
The site forms part of a 650-acre stretch marked for the Sardar Patel Sports Enclave, an Olympic Village and allied sports facilities. The project is linked to Ahmedabad’s bid for the 2036 Olympic Games and preparations for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
A division bench upheld an earlier single-judge order that had allowed the state to resume possession of the land, currently occupied by the ashram of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.
The court was forthright in its assessment of the ashram trust. It called the petitioner a “habitual offender” and held that the trust had not only violated conditions of its land allotment and regularisation orders but had also encroached upon a substantial stretch of open land beyond its allotted area.
The bench also noted that the ashram had previously encroached on roughly 51,000 square metres of public land along the Sabarmati riverbed, land for which eviction proceedings were initiated as far back as 2009 under Section 61 of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code.
The court rejected the ashram’s arguments on proportionality. It ruled that none of the prayers made in the writ petition could be granted and that there was no question of regularising the encroached riverbed land. Any such relief, it said, would run contrary to the position laid down by the Supreme Court. The court also found no fault in the concurrent findings of the competent authorities, holding that principles of natural justice had been duly followed throughout.
After the judgment was pronounced, senior advocates Mihir Thakore and Aadit Sanjanwala, appearing for the ashram, sought a stay. They pointed out that the petitioners were currently in possession of the land and that structures on it were in active use. They sought time to approach a higher forum.
The request met with opposition from government pleader GH Virk, who noted that eviction proceedings had already been initiated in 2023 and argued against any further relief.
Virk, however, gave an undertaking to the court. He assured that once proceedings under Sections 61 and 79A of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code were finally decided, the state would issue a notice under Section 202 of the Code, giving the petitioners reasonable time to hand over peaceful possession. Coercive action, he said, would follow only if they failed to comply.
The court rejected the stay plea.
Murky past
Asaram Bapu is out on medical bail granted by the High Court in November.
Vibes of India had reported that any development linked to Asaram Bapu carries the weight of a murky past. Shadows of suspicious dealings follow him. And invariably, the self-proclaimed spiritual guru finds himself in a mesh of legal proceedings.
He was arrested in 2013 following a case of sexual filed against him by two of his followers. They accused him of raping their daughter. Before this arrest, he was close to several BJP leaders who used to frequent his ashram. This also included then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Police said he allegedly called the victim to his room in his ashram in Jodhpur on the pretext of curing her and then raped her.
Allegations of sexual abuse first surfaced in 2013 when the woman filed a complaint against the guru.
She alleged that Asaram raped her several times at his ashram in Motera. According to the complainant, she was confined for five years there before she could escape.
He was also convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl in 2018.
Among other charges, he reportedly assaulted a woman several times between 2001 and 2006 at his ashram in Gujarat.
He created an empire of Rs 10,000 crore within four decades, starting from a modest hut near Sabarmati River in the early 70s to over 400 ashrams across the country and the world.
Also Read: Gujarat High Court Extends Asaram Bapu’s Bail In Rape Case
