Guwahati: Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Gujarat High Court's 2022 judgment that approved the state government's Rs 1,200 crore Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project.

The petition alleges that the project will erase the ashram's simplicity and transform it into a state-controlled monument, deviating from Gandhian principles. Tushar Gandhi claimed that the project is a betrayal of Gandhian legacy and will alter the topography of the original ashram, displacing resident Harijan families and bypassing Gandhian trusts.

The project plans to preserve 40 buildings while destroying or rebuilding around 200 others. The redevelopment work will be handed over to a government-dominated body headed by the Chief Minister and senior bureaucrats, which Tushar Gandhi sees as an attempt to take over the memorial.

The petition highlighted Gandhi's 1933 letter, where he expressed his intention to transfer the ashram land to the Harijan Sevak Sangh. Tushar Gandhi has sought a declaration that any redevelopment must follow Gandhi's will and be undertaken in consultation with independent Gandhians, historians, and custodians of the Ashram.

The Gujarat High Court had rejected Tushar Gandhi's petition in September 2022, stating that the government's assurances were sufficient and the project did not compromise the legacy of the site. However, Tushar Gandhi argued that the High Court ignored the lived spirit and legacy of the place and erred in giving weight to oral submissions and affidavits of the State without examining the ground realities.

The Supreme Court has been urged to set aside the Gujarat High Court's verdict and stay all further construction or redevelopment activity until the matter is finally heard.