SC Agrees To Hear Plea Challenging Renaming Of Aurangabad To “Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar” On March 24

A plea contesting the renaming of the city of Aurangabad to ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’ has been recently filed before the Supreme Court of India.

The petition was mentioned by Advocate Fuzail Ayyubi before a bench consisting of CJI DY Chandrachud, Judge PS Narasimha, and Justice JB Pardiwala.

The plea challenges the approval granted by the Centre and the State of Maharashtra to the letter of the Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad dated 4 March, 2020 which recommended that the name of the city of Aurangabad be changed to ‘Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’.

The Supreme Court has decided to hear the case on March 24, 2023.

According to the petitioner, he had challenged a similar attempt to rename Aurangabad in 1996. The plea further stated that the said case was heard by the Supreme Court, where leave was granted and the status quo was ordered. Nevertheless, the notification was later withdrawn by the state government, rendering the case infructuous.

The plea further contends that he opposed the current attempt to rename the city through a PIL that was pending in the High Court of Bombay. However, ignoring the pendency of the petition, the Centre granted consent to the requested change in the name of city.

The petition added, “The State of Maharashtra also issued notifications on the same day, 24.02.2023, officially changing the name of City Aurangabad, Taluka and District – Aurangabad, Maharashtra to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Taluka and District – Aurangabad, Maharashtra. On the same day, the state government issued a notification under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Law, 1966, calling for objections to draft notification renaming the Aurangabad revenue divisions Sambhajinagar.”