Gujarat HC Dismisses Pleas Challenging Notices to Vacate Govt Land Over Encroachment on Pond

The Gujarat High Court dismissed petitions by 77 individuals challenging municipal notices directing them to vacate premises built over a water body (pond) in Ahmedabad. The Court noted that though petitioners claimed long occupation and produced bills (electricity / taxes), they lacked any legitimate title or permission for construction — the land was government-owned, designated as a water body under revenue maps, and no construction is permissible on such land. The Court reaffirmed settled law that unauthorized occupation or constructions over government-owned water bodies cannot be regularized merely by long possession, and upheld the municipal corporation’s power to restore public land. (Live Law)