The Gujarat High Court has closed contempt proceedings against Ahmedabad Collector and District Magistrate Bhavya Verma after accepting his unconditional apology for failing to act on a long-pending application seeking Non-Agricultural (NA) land conversion.
The proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by Rasik Patel through his advocate, Viral Shah, alleging non-compliance with the court’s earlier directions issued on March 5 this year.
During the hearing before a division bench of Justice A S Supehia and Justice Nisha M Thakore, the Assistant Government Pleader submitted an affidavit on behalf of the Collector, tendering an unconditional apology. The affidavit also suggested that the applicant file a fresh NA conversion application, which could then be considered on priority.
However, Patel’s counsel opposed the proposal, arguing that the applicant had already waited for more than two and a half years for the administration to process the request. He further pointed out that filing a fresh application would effectively restart the statutory 90-day waiting period, causing additional hardship to the applicant.
The division bench observed that the Collector’s order dated September 17, 2026, was contemptuous in nature. While accepting the officer’s unconditional apology, the court refused to direct the applicant to initiate the process afresh.
The court emphasised that citizens should not be made to suffer further procedural delays because of administrative lapses. It directed the authorities to decide the applicant’s original NA conversion application, dated March 22, on its merits within 15 days and communicate the decision to him immediately thereafter.
Following these directions, the High Court disposed of the contempt proceedings.