The Bombay High Court dismissed petitions opposing the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor ruled that the renaming notifications were not illegal.
Mumbai: Today (8th May): The Bombay High Court dismissed petitions challenging the decision of the State authorities to rename the city and revenue divisions of Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively. The division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor ruled that the renaming notifications were not illegal.
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The Court affirms that the notifications altering the names of cities and revenue divisions are devoid of any shortcomings, stating,
“We have no hesitation in asserting this.”
Background:
Previously, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government under Uddhav Thackeray decided to rename the cities in June 2021, a decision reaffirmed by the current government led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in July 2022. The decision to rename Aurangabad as ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ and Osmanabad as ‘Dharashiv’, a series of petitions filed by individuals, including residents of the respective districts.
The petitioners argued that the State Government’s attempt to change the name of Aurangabad in 2001 was abandoned and that the recent decision was politically motivated, disregarding constitutional provisions. Additionally, concerns were raised regarding the potential for religious and communal tensions resulting from the renaming of Osmanabad to Dharashiv.
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The court held that the renaming did not violate any legal provisions and affirmed the state government’s authority to make such decisions.
In response to the petitions, the Maharashtra government argued that the renaming of Osmanabad to Dharashiv did not incite religious or communal hatred but was widely celebrated by the majority of the people. The government denied claims that the name change was politically motivated to fuel animosity towards any particular community. They cited previous attempts by the Maharashtra Government in 1998 to change the name of Osmanabad to Dharashiv, which had failed to materialize.
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