The High Court issued the directive while delivering an order on a number of petitions challenging the Rajasthan government’s notifications to create new villages or name them after a person, caste, or religion.
In a recent directive, the Rajasthan High Court stated that revenue villages, hamlets, or any such settlements should not be named after any person, caste, sub-caste, or religion.
The High Court issued the directive while delivering an order on a number of petitions challenging the Rajasthan government’s notifications to create new villages or name them after a person, caste, or religion.
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A single bench of Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur of the Rajasthan HC set aside a notification to create the new revenue village “Gogaji Ki Jaal” in Barmer district. The bench also quashed similar notifications about other places in different districts.
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In this context, the state government’s notification regarding the creation of the new revenue village “Gogaji ki Jaal” in Barmer district has been set aside for violating its 2009 guidelines, which prohibit naming villages after any person, caste, sub-caste, or religion. On the same basis, all similar notifications have also been quashed.
Delivering the order, Justice Mathur said, “Perusal of amended Clause 4 clearly shows that the state government has modified the earlier Clause 4 of the circular dated August 20, 2009, vide its circular dated February 2, 2025. Gram Panchayats have now been directed to get a resolution passed by a majority in the Gram Sabha, and that proposal is required to be sent to the state government.
The judge stated, “A reading of the provision stated above shows that a newly created village should not be named after any person, caste, sub-caste, or religion. In the present batch of writ petitions, the village is named after a person, caste, and sub-caste. ‘Gogaji’ is a local deity worshipped by a particular community.”
Justice Mathur further said, “In the considered opinion of this court, there is a purpose and intention to incorporate clause 4 in these terms that no particular person, caste, sub-caste, or religion should be given undue advantage that disturb the communal harmony in the society.”
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