Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has cancelled an Ahmedabad Collector's order rejecting a land-use conversion application and directed the authority to decide the matter within the prescribed legal timeframe. The court also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on the Collector over the delay and the repetition of reasons that had already been rejected in an earlier order.

Source: Urban Acres

The case concerns an application under Section 65 of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code to convert agricultural land for non-agricultural, or NA, use. The applicant had earlier approached the High Court after the Collector rejected the application by citing old transactions that did not have approval under Section 63 of the Gujarat Tenancy Act.

Rejected again after the 90-day deadline passed

On March 2, 2026, the High Court cancelled that earlier order and directed the Collector to decide a fresh application within 90 days, based on the court's previous findings. The applicant submitted another NA application on April 7, 2026. The Collector rejected the application again on August 6, after the 90-day period had expired, on the stated ground that the state government was considering filing an appeal against the March 2 order. The court was told that, despite more than seven months having passed, no such appeal had been filed.

The High Court held that, while considering permission under Section 65, the Collector is required to examine the applicant's possession and the nature of the land, and found that the Collector did not have authority in that proceeding to reopen questions concerning ownership or older title transactions. The court also criticised the repetition of the same grounds after its earlier order.

Rs 1 lakh from personal funds within a month

The latest order restores the applicant's NA application to the original file and requires the Collector to decide it within the applicable legal period. The court directed the Collector to deposit Rs 1 lakh from personal funds, described as a cost for allegedly harassing the applicant, in the High Court registry within one month.

Source: Gujarat Headline

If the amount is not deposited, the state government will make the payment and recover it from the Collector's salary, according to the report. After verification of the deposit, the amount is to be transferred electronically to the applicant as litigation costs. The ruling puts the administration's handling of land-conversion applications under direct judicial scrutiny, with the next step a time-bound decision on the restored application.