The Maharashtra government stated in an affidavit submitted before the Bombay High Court that the majority of people in the city of Osmanabad celebrated after the city’s name was changed to Dharashiv.
The state’s general administration department filed an affidavit in a public interest litigation (PIL) case opposing the renaming of Osmanabad, Maharashtra.
According to the affidavit, the name change from ‘Osmanabad’ to ‘Dharashiv’ did not generate religious or communal enmity, nor did it cause a schism between religious groups.
“On the contrary, majority of the people celebrated after change of name of Osmanabad to Dharashiv,” the affidavit stated.
The State also submitted a supplemental affidavit in opposition to the PIL challenging the renaming of Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Both the affidavits stated that the PILs should not be heard by the High Court’s principal bench, but rather by the Aurangabad bench, which has territorial authority over the subject.
“The present PILs should not be heard before the Main Seat of this Hon’ble Court because this Bench’s territorial jurisdiction does not extend to Aurangabad.” The affidavit stated that “the Bench of this Hon’ble Court at Aurangabad shall have territorial authority to entertain this PIL.”
The affidavit particularly refuted charges that the name change is a politically driven decision aimed at inciting hatred toward a community and, as a result, eroding the spirit of secularism.
The former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, proposed to rename both Aurangabad and Osmanabad in June 2022.
Following the change in government, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde called the decision unlawful.
But, in July 2022, the new government chose to go with the decision.
Following that, the current petitions were filed to challenge the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad, arguing that the decision was made in blatant disregard for the provisions of the Constitution.
At today’s hearing, a division bench comprised of Acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne was informed that notifications changing the names of the two cities had already been issued.
The State, according to Advocate General Dr Birendra Saraf, has now published a draft notification for renaming the districts and village revenue divisions in the districts of Osmanabad and Aurangabad, and it is currently accepting objections.
When the petitioners asked for a stay, Saraf noted that the objection procedure would take roughly 8 weeks to complete and that there would be no progress toward providing final notification until then.
The bench then listed the matter for further consideration in April 2023.
