TUSHAR ARUN GANDHI Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner has preferred this petition contending inter alia that in the interest of public at large, he intends to espouse the cause and in furtherance of it has sought for the following reliefs:-

(2.) The petitioner, who is the Great-Grandson of Father of the Nation Late Sri Mahatma Gandhi has stated that he has established Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, a Charitable Trust to conserve the writings, photos and multimedia material of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi by digitizing them and the said organization also works with other organizations towards rural welfare and is also involved in advocating and spreading the Gandhian Values. It is also stated that petitioner was invited to join as Director of Gandhi Research Foundation, Maharashtra and he also serves on the Advisory Council of the Dharma Bharati Mission, an organization working for the upliftment and education of the underprivileged children living in the Mumbai's slums. The petitioner has also stated that he has been espousing the public cause and to uphold the Gandhian principles and to preserve the rich culture of the Gandhian philosophy he has been fling petitions before the Apex Court and before this Court espousing public causes and present petition is filed purely in public interest on his own and not at the instance of any other person, organization or political party.

(3.) The sum and substance of the grievance of the petitioner is that the redevelopment of Gandhi Ashram Memorial proposed by the Government of Gujarat by Government resolution dtd. 5/3/2021 would transgress the existing working of Gandhi Ashram, known as Sabarmati Ashram, which is managed by Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust formed in 1951 and it would cause imbalance and thereby the aesthetic value as well as the Gandhian principles enunciated by the Father of the Nation would recede to background or in other words Gandhi Ashram existing on the banks of Sabarmati river would eclipse by virtue of the said order.