HC bars Ambedkar grandsons’ ‘shramdan’ plan at Bhavan site

Swati.Deshpande Mumbai: The high court on Friday restrained B R Ambedkar’s grandsons from carrying out any “shramdan” to repair

Ambedkar Bhavan

, Dadar and directed maintenance of status quo on the premises. Prakash, Anand and

Bhimrao

Ambedkar had said 10,000 would

volunteer

on Saturday to clear bamboo poles, tarpaulin sheets and metal girders from the site that was demolished on June 25. The HC directed the “police commissioner to make arrangements to ensure compliance of the order and maintain law and order at the site”. The order came after Shrikant Gaware and seven others, including Madhukar Kamble and Abhay Bhambhole, who claim to be the trustees of the Bhavan and had overseen the demolition, sought interim relief. They had moved the HC to restrain the Ambedkar brothers — who claim they are the real trustees — from entering the land and demolishing or constructing on the plot. They also sought the appointment of a court receiver till their suit is decided, as they have contended that the Ambedkar brothers are not legally the trustees. The court allowed no alterations or erection of any structure on the 2,300-odd sq yard plot till the next hearing on Monday. The trustees’ lawyer Santosh Sanjkar said the plea is to dispossess the Ambedkar brothers from the land since they have no rights, neither as tenants nor as trustees. Gaware’s counsel Shailesh Shah submitted before Justice S J Kathawalla that the “shramdan” should not take place on Saturday. The advocate for the Ambedkar brothers opposed any relief and said they were the legal trustees of Ambedkar Bhavan and have rightly taken possession. He pointed out that there is also a pending dispute over trusteeship before the charity commissioner in Mumbai. Currently, there are two factions of trustees. Some like Gaware and Kamble are loyal to state information commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who championed the demolition and had even got the chief minister to perform the bhoomi pujan for a 17-storey building that would house an Ambedkar museum, a vipassana hall, a library, etc. Others support Prakash Ambedkar, who claims razing of the structure was illegal. After an explosion of anger among Dalits, even the CM has now called the demolition “unauthorized”. B R Ambedkar had purchased the plot in 1944 at a cost of Rs 36,565 from Dalit community funds.