Gujarat HC Throws Out Somnath Temple PIL, Slaps ₹2 Lakh Cost on Petitioner

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking disclosure of the reported archaeological findings related to Buddhism beneath the Somnath temple and imposed a cost of ₹2 lakh on the petitioner.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray held that the petition was based on “incorrect, misleading and distorted facts” and observed that such litigation undermines the credibility of genuine PILs.

The petition was filed by Maharashtra resident Vilas Tukaram Kharat, who described himself as a Marathi scholar, a Buddhist, and a founder-member of the NGO Sanatan Dhamm. He had sought directions to make public the findings of an alleged scientific survey conducted by IIT Gandhinagar and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which he claimed had been reported in print and social media.

The High Court noted that the petitioner failed to produce any authentic documents or material to support the claims made in the PIL. It observed that none of the statements in the petition could be verified as being based on the petitioner’s personal knowledge or credible research.

Opposing the plea, the Gujarat government argued that the petition was an attempt to drag the Somnath Trust into an unnecessary controversy without any factual basis.

Agreeing with the state’s submissions, the court said the PIL contained incorrect, incomplete and misleading facts and described the petitioner as an “unscrupulous litigant.” It ruled that the petition deserved dismissal with exemplary costs of ₹2 lakh. DeshGujarat