The Gujarat High Court has ordered a personal fine of ₹1 lakh against the Ahmedabad Collector for willfully defying a judicial directive to approve a farmer’s land use conversion, marking an unusually stern rebuke of administrative overreach. The Collector must pay the sum from his own salary within a month as compensation for the applicant’s prolonged legal harassment, with the state mandated to deduct it if he fails to comply.
Collector Repeatedly Ignored Court Order
The legal battle began on 19 December 2024, when Bhumikaben, a farmer, applied to convert her agricultural land for non-agricultural (NA) use under Section 65 of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code, 1879. The Ahmedabad Collector initially rejected her application on 11 February 2025, citing issues related to previous land transactions and tenancy law approvals.
After the applicant challenged this rejection in the High Court, the court ruled in her favour on 2 March 2026. The court explicitly stated the Collector has no authority to investigate the land’s previous ownership history or title disputes. It directed the Collector to re-evaluate the application within the legally mandated timeframe.
Despite this clear order, the Ahmedabad Collector once again rejected the application on 6 August 2026, citing the exact same grounds as the initial rejection. The Collector claimed that government departments were considering an appeal against the High Court’s March 2026 ruling. However, during the court proceedings, the state government’s lawyer conceded that no such appeal had ever been filed.
Court Slams “Superpower” Attitude
The High Court reacted with profound displeasure, describing the Collector’s actions as contemptuous. The bench noted that this conduct was not an isolated incident and that such dismissive attitudes undermine the dignity of the judiciary.
Collector Must Pay Applicant
The Gujarat High Court on 6 August 2026 overturned the Ahmedabad Collector’s rejection order for a non-agricultural land conversion application. It mandated that the Collector must personally deposit ₹1 lakh with the High Court registry within one month. This amount is intended to compensate the applicant for the unnecessary legal costs and harassment caused by the delay.
The court stipulated a strict enforcement mechanism: if the Collector fails to pay from his salary, the state government must deposit the amount and then deduct it directly from his salary.
A Message to the Administration
The ruling sends a clear message that non-compliance with judicial orders is unacceptable. The court's decision states that failing to act in a timely manner and deliberately prolonging legal processes is equivalent to contempt of court.
The Ahmedabad Collector was also ordered to restore the applicant’s 11 April 2026 application to its original file and to make a fresh, legally compliant decision within the statutory timeframe. The case highlights the critical intersection of bureaucratic procedure and individual rights, with the judiciary stepping in to ensure that administrative bodies do not act as “superpower” entities outside the legal framework.
