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News Topical, Digital Desk : The illegal portion of the Asaram Ashram, built by encroaching on the pond land of Motera village on the banks of the Sabarmati River, will be demolished. The Gujarat High Court on Thursday dismissed the petition filed by the Asaram Ashram and granted permission to the administration to remove the illegal encroachment.
The ashram is located a short distance from the Sardar Patel Sports Complex.
The petition objected to the government's attempt to free the land in the city's Motera area, located a short distance from the Narendra Modi Stadium and the under-construction Sardar Patel Sports Complex.
This court decision paves the way for land acquisition for the development of sports infrastructure for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. The Sardar Patel Sports Complex will be expanded. The Gujarat government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation are working diligently to prepare for the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
This land was given for limited religious use decades ago.
Government lawyer G.H. Virk, opposing the petition, told a single bench of Justice Vaibhavi Nanavati that this was not a sudden action. The ashram was given notice and a full opportunity to be heard. Decades ago, the land was granted for limited religious use, but the ashram gradually encroached upon it and expanded, which cannot be justified.
The public prosecutor said the land was allotted on the condition that it would not be used for commercial activities and unauthorised construction and the permission conditions would be strictly followed but inspection revealed that there was extensive construction and encroachment beyond the allotted area.
As Ahmedabad prepares for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and fosters long-term Olympic aspirations, the state's attempt to reclaim the land bolsters efforts to develop sports facilities in the area. The High Court subsequently dismissed the petition filed by the ashram.
Asaram's ashram has been running for the last four decades.
Asaram's ashram has been operating in the Motera area of Ahmedabad for nearly four decades. The ashram has illegally constructed 15,000 square meters of land.
The Municipal Corporation had allotted approximately 33,000 square meters of land for the ashram. The ashram's operators illegally occupied land along the banks of the Sabarmati River and the Motera village pond, constructing various rooms and buildings for the ashram.
The Municipal Corporation's legal committee discussed the issue on Wednesday and directed immediate action. A West Zone official stated that the land occupied by the ashram was allotted by the government, but construction was carried out illegally. Illegal construction on such land cannot be regularized by charging a fee.
The Ashram's application was rejected by the Municipal Corporation in October 2025, after which the Ashram filed a petition in the court.
Master plan prepared for the area around the stadium
According to Legal Committee Chairman Prakash Gurjar, work on the Sardar Patel Sports Complex Development Phase-2 will take place around the Narendra Modi Stadium. Therefore, notices have been issued to demolish illegal structures there. A master plan is being prepared for the area surrounding the stadium. This land will be developed for the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the potential Olympic Games in 2036.
Asaram is in jail
It is worth noting that Asaram was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a minor at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013. In January 2023, a Gandhinagar court sentenced him to life imprisonment in another rape case.
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