Recently, the Supreme Court rejected the petition filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, challenging the Gujarat High Court's 2022 ruling that upheld the State government's Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project.
The bench comprising Justices MM Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal declined to entertain the petition.
Gandhi argued that the ₹1,200 crore project would change the Ashram’s simple nature and turn it into a State-controlled monument, moving away from Gandhian values.
He believed the project was a betrayal of Gandhi's legacy, as it planned to change the Ashram's layout and include modern features like museums, amphitheatres, and food courts. Gandhi also pointed out that the redevelopment would force out Harijan families who live there and ignore the Gandhian trusts that have managed the Ashram.
He cited a 1933 letter from Gandhi to Ghanshyamdas Birla, where Gandhi had expressed his intention to transfer the Ashram land to the Harijan Sevak Sangh.
"I consulted friends and co-workers and came to the conclusion that the best use to make of the Ashram was to dedicate it once for all for the service of the Harijans. I placed my proposal before the trustees of the Ashram who are out, as also fellow members. They have, I am happy to say, whole-heartedly approved of it....The question that the trustees and I had to consider was, to whom was the property to be transferred for the specific use I have mentioned; and we came unanimously to the conclusion that it should be transferred to the all-India Harijan organization for all-India use."
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