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Gujarat High Court dismisses plea on Somnath Temple survey, imposes Rs 2 lakh cost

Published on: 25 Jun 2026, 11:25 PM

The Gujarat High Court on Thursday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the Somnath Temple, ruling that the petition was based on unverified claims. The court imposed an exemplary cost of Rs 2 lakh on the petitioner.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray accepted the state government's argument that the petition lacked merit and amounted to an abuse of the PIL jurisdiction.

The petitioner, Vilas Tukaram Kharat from Maharashtra, had sought disclosure of an alleged archaeological survey conducted beneath the Somnath Temple by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and IIT Gandhinagar.

During the hearing, the petitioner admitted that the allegations in the PIL were based entirely on newspaper reports and social media posts, with no verified evidence.

Source: Indian Express

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