The Bombay High Court on Wednesday disposed of the batch of petitions challenging the proposed renaming of the Aurangabad and Osmanabad revenue areas including district, sub-divisions, Taluka and village.
A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Arif Doctor disposed of the pleas as the same were withdrawn by the petitioners.
The bench will hear on October 4 the petitions challenging the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad Cities to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively.
Final notification on renaming yet to issued: Govt
Maharashtra government informed the bench that the final notification for renaming of district and revenue areas were not issued yet and objections from public invited are still under consideration. Hence, the challenge to proposed renaming of revenue areas at present stage was premature.
The HC has said that the petitioners can challenge the final notification for renaming of revenue areas once it is issued.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf, for the state government, continued the statement that before the final notification for renaming of revenue areas is issued, the proposed names will not be used in any manner in relation to revenue and district areas by the authorities.
Procedure for renaming revenue areas had started: Govt
On February 24, the Union Home Ministry had given a no objection letter for changing the name of Aurangabad city and thereafter, a gazette notification was issued by the state government changing the name of Aurangabad and Osmanabad cities in Maharashtra.
Saraf said that the change of name of revenue areas was governed by the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code which gave powers to the state government to not only alter but abolish the name of such revenue decisions. The draft notification for the same has been issued and the procedure for renaming of revenue areas has commenced.
However, final notification has not been issued since it is in the stage of considering objections raised by the public for renamining.
