Protests broke out in four villages in Vadodara in June 2020 against a government notification to include seven villages within the limits of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). The dispute started in September 2019 when the VMC general committee passed a proposal to include seven villages Bhayli, Sevasi, Bil, Karodiya, Vemali, Undera and Vadadala within the municipal limits. It was reportedly** **in response to requests by the residents of some newly developed housing societies who wanted inclusion of their areas in city limits for better infrastructure development. Hence, the VMC decided to include the seven villages under its jurisdiction and develop roads in these areas, jointly with the Vadodara Urban Development Authority. However, the proposal met with opposition from a majority of residents of these villages. This was mainly because their inclusion in municipal limits would lead to the dissolution of village panchayats and an increase in the property tax rates. The villagers also alleged that the VMCs move is aimed at increasing its revenue by converting agricultural lands into real estate projects. The village panchayats had written letters to the additional chief secretary of the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department as well as filed a Special Leave Petition in the High Court of Gujarat in April 2020, asking for a reversal of the government notification. While the matter was sub judice, the government issued a notification on June 18, bringing the seven villages within the city limits and under the VMCs jurisdiction. This sparked protests in the villages of Bil, Sevasi, Bhayli, Karodiya and Undera. The protesters gathered in public places, raised slogans, burnt effigies and called for a bandh. The petition was to be heard on June 26, but the state government's move prompted the villagers to revise their petition for quashing the state government's June 18 notification. The high court is yet to hear the case. Jay Bhatt, sarpanch of Bil Village Panchayat, told LCW that the decision to include panchayats within municipal limits was taken without following due process or principles of natural justice. He stated that panchayats are representative bodies established by the Constitution and, therefore, their dissolution, or the inclusion of villages within city limits should be done with the participation and consent of the village panchayats, which, he says, are more accessible to people than municipal corporations. "Also, the property tax under the panchayat is around INR 300500, which will increase to around INR 3,000 under the jurisdiction of the VMC, without any upgrade in services." Another reason Bhatt mentioned for the public opposition to the inclusion move was the fact that the VMC had failed to serve the villages previously included within the city limits. "Under such circumstances, inclusion of new villages does not serve any purpose. The people will lose the services they are getting under the panchayat in exchange of a substandard service by the VMC." The inclusion has now begun spilling over to other spheres, solidifying it. In July 2020, Vadodara's Urban Development and Housing Department notified the rotation of reserved seats in the VMC, ahead of the civic body polls, keeping in mind the increase in the number of voters with the inclusion of the seven villages.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Withdawal of the government notification that includes the seven villages within the city limits.
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Both
Non-Forest (Other than Grazing Land)
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Constitutional Law, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Violation of free prior informed consent
Legal Status:
In Court
Status of Case In Court
Pending
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
High Court of Gujarat
Case Number
Special Civil Application No. 7002, 7003, 7004 & 7326 of 2020 [CNR number or case file number GJHC240237142020]
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
Urban Development and Urban Housing Department; Vadodara Municipal Corporation
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
Rejitha is a freelance consultant and Master Trainer for Paralegals. She is presently writing her doctoral thesis at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad. Before starting out on her own, she worked for over six years as an Assistant Professor, teaching Human Rights and Legal Theory at Nirma University, Ahmedabad. A firm believer in education for justice, she devotes most of her time in developing courses and training modules to better understand social power and power structures.
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