Somnath (Prabhas Patan): A division bench of the Gujarat High Court on Friday, 30 October 2026, restored the ban on the preparation, sale and storage of non-vegetarian food around the Somnath Temple in Gir Somnath district, staying a single judge's order passed only hours earlier that had quashed the restrictions, Bar and Bench reported.

Source: Bar and Bench

Earlier that day, at about 3 pm, single judge Justice Nisha M Thakore allowed a petition filed by restaurant owners operating in Prabhas Patan and quashed the District Magistrate's notification, holding it beyond the powers conferred under Section 33(1)(w) of the Gujarat Police Act, 1951 and violative of the owners' right to carry on trade under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution. The judge also refused the state government's request to suspend the operation of her order. The verdict had not yet been published on the court website when the state's appeal came up for hearing.

Source: CourtBook

500 metresradius around Somnath Temple covered by the ban
August 10, 2026date of the District Magistrate's final notification
About 2.5 hoursgap between the single judge's verdict and the division bench hearing
November 25, 2026returnable date for the notice issued by the division bench

The state moved in appeal immediately after the verdict was pronounced. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak and Justice Nirzar S Desai took up the appeal at around 5.30 pm the same day and stayed the single judge's judgment until further orders, directing that the District Magistrate's final notification of August 10, 2026, issued under Section 33(1)(w) of the Gujarat Police Act, shall remain in force till the returnable date. The bench issued notice returnable on November 25, 2026, and directed that the appeal be listed alongside Special Civil Application No. 14356 of 2018, an earlier pending proceeding. The restaurant owners' petition was Special Civil Application No. 13977 of 2026; the state's appeal is Letters Patent Appeal No. 886 of 2026.

Source: Bar and Bench

The District Magistrate, Gir Somnath, had issued a preliminary notification on July 10, 2026, inviting objections to a proposed prohibition on the preparation, sale and storage of meat, fish, eggs and non-vegetarian dishes at shops, restaurants, hotels and roadside stalls in specified areas. The final notification of August 10 imposed the prohibition on seven specified stretches and areas, including all areas within 500 metres of Somnath Temple and stretches connecting Bhalka Tirth, Bhidiya Circle, Shankh Circle, Safari Circle, Prajapati Dharamshala, Gita Mandir and Hamirji Circle. The division bench's order is interim and does not finally dispose of the appeal, so the restrictions continue while the legal dispute remains pending.

Source: CourtBook