Recently, the Supreme Court examined a challenge arising from the creation of new revenue villages in Rajasthan, raising important questions on government policy, equality, and administrative propriety. The case stemmed from the naming of two newly created revenue villages, Amargarh and Sagatsar, in Barmer district.
The dispute originated when villagers objected to the names of these revenue villages, alleging that they were derived from the names of private individuals who had donated land for their creation. Although the State government had issued a notification in 2020 constituting the villages under Section 16 of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956, the controversy resurfaced during subsequent reorganisation of Panchayati institutions, prompting judicial scrutiny.
The Supreme Court noted that a binding State policy circular clearly prohibits naming revenue villages after any person, religion, caste, or sub-caste, with the aim of preserving communal harmony and equality. The Court observed that executive policies, once framed, are binding on the government and cannot be ignored without lawful amendment, as doing so would amount to arbitrariness under Article 14 of the Constitution.
Finding that the village names were admittedly derived from individuals’ names, the Court held that the notification violated the State’s own policy. It ruled that the Rajasthan High Court Division Bench erred in overlooking this crucial aspect and in restricting its analysis to technical grounds. Accordingly, the Supreme Court set aside the Division Bench judgment and restored the Single Judge’s order quashing the notification insofar as it related to the disputed village names, while allowing liberty to rename them in accordance with law.
Case Title: Bhika Ram v. State of Rajasthan
Case No.: SLP (C) No. 27965 of 2025
Coram: Hon’ble Mr Justice Sanjay Kumar and Hon’ble Mr Justice Alok Aradhe
Counsel for the Appellant: AOR Manish K. Bishnoi, Sr. Adv. Manish Singhvi, Adv. Karan Bishnoi.
Counsel for the Respondent: Adv. Vivek Firoda, Adv. Hanuman Ram Mundan, Adv. Sharwan Kumar Godara, AOR Shubham Jain, Adv. Aneesha Rastogi, AOR S. Udaya Kumar Sagar.
Read Judgement @LatestLaws.com
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