High Court's Verdict: Retain Renaming Aurangabad, Osmanabad

On Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde applauded the Bombay High Court‘s decision to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively, and that individuals opposing the move were tied to the opposition MVA.

The Bombay High Court dismissed a slew of petitions contesting the Maharashtra government’s move to rename Aurangabad district as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv saying, “What’s in a title”. Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor, sitting as a division bench, determined that the petitions were without merit and that the state government’s notification (requesting renaming) was not subject to intervention.

When Were The Cities Renamed?

Former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray approved the long-pending demand to rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad city as Dharashiv at the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s penultimate cabinet meeting in June last year.

The MVA administration disintegrated the following day, and Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, respectively.

After taking office, the Shinde-Fadnavis government declared that the Thackeray-led administration’s decision to rename these locations was unlawful because it was made after the governor ordered the coalition government to prove its majority in the state Assembly.

In July of last year, the new administration led by the BJP and the rebel Shiv Sena gave cabinet consent to rename Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, respectively.

It should be noted that during the MVA government’s last cabinet meeting, Aurangabad was renamed simply Sambhaji Nagar, but the Shinde-Fadnavis government added the prefix ‘Chhatrapati’ to it.

Shinde’s Statement:

Speaking to reporters here, CM Eknath Shinde said the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad, authorized in June 2022 by the then-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, was “illegal” because the ruling coalition had lost its majority following a revolt by a portion of the undivided Shiv Sena MLAs led by him.

Following the collapse of the MVA government on June 30, 2022, Shinde’s cabinet accepted the names Aurangabad and Osmanabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv respectively. On July 16, 2022, a government resolution was voted to change the names, which was subsequently forwarded to the Centre for approval.

“The Bombay High Court approved the renaming of Dharashiv and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray has fulfilled his dream. A few of the individuals who challenged the ruling and appeared in court were MVA members,” he said.

The court’s decision sends a message to those who opposed Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s designation. The city of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Balasaheb Thackeray shared a strong tie. “Those who were in the government for two and a half years made the renaming decision at the last minute after our revolt, but it was illegal,” Shinde insisted.

What Is The Bombay High Court’s Verdict?

Earlier in the day, the High Court dismissed a number of petitions contesting the state government’s move to rename Aurangabad district as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad as Dharashiv.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor ruled that the petitions lacked substance and that the state government’s notification (for renaming) did not deserve any interference.

“We have no reluctance in ruling that the notice issued by the state government changing Aurangabad and Osmanabad is unaffected from any illegality or any judicial vice,” the court wrote.

In its decision, the bench stated that the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code allows the state government to abolish any revenue region as well as name/rename and change the area’s name. The court stated unequivocally that the government obeyed statutory provisions while deciding to rename the two districts and cities.

The HC stated that it believes the question of changing the name of a tax area, or even a city or town, is not justiciable since courts lack the necessary tools to arbitrate such matters. “Unless the suggested name is offensive, the legal assessment of the name to be given to a specific object or location is not possible,” the Supreme Court stated.