Mohammad Irshad Ansari on Thursday prevented the demolition of his mother’s grave after approaching the Gujarat High Court. This came after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) issued a verbal notice regarding the removal of encroachments at Chartoda, Kabrastan for a road expansion project.
The High Court had identified several structures, including shops, houses, and graves, for demolition as part of the encroachment clearance. Among these was the grave of Ansari’s mother, Habibunnisa, who passed away in 2020.
Alarmed by the potential demolition, Ansari rushed to the High Court last week, joining 40 other petitioners seeking protection for their properties near Hathikhai in Gomtipur.
Ansari, who often visits his mother’s grave to perform religious rituals, argued that demolishing the grave would deeply hurt his religious sentiments. He requested the court to instruct the AMC to spare the grave.
While the court dismissed the pleas of the 40 other petitioners—reiterating a 2008 High Court order requiring the AMC to provide adequate compensation to those willing to vacate—the issue of the grave was addressed separately.
The AMC assured the court that no graves within the Kabrastan boundaries would be disturbed.
The court order stated, “In regard to petitioner No 24 (Ansari), who has made a prayer in relation to protecting his mother’s grave, this court is of the opinion that no graveyard can be permitted beyond the area of Karastan. The learned Government pleader, upon instructions, further submitted that no demolition is to be done in the area of Karastan, no protection is required.”
Ansari’s advocate, Nitish Nair, expressed relief at the outcome, saying, “We have succeeded in the case of Ansari as the AMC’s counsel assured that the grave situated in the graveyard would not be disturbed. This means that though the grave had been demarcated, it is saved now.”
The AMC’s verbal notice had initially sparked widespread concern among residents, who feared losing their homes, shops, and religious sites.
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