Varanasi: A Varanasi organisation propagating Gandhian values is fighting a demolition order by Northern Railway. Established in 1955, the Sarva Sewa Sangh's Varanasi campus houses the Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan. For more than 50 days, Gandhian thinkers, social activists, and political leaders have been on a 'Satyagraha' against the demolition order by the Northern Railway, which claims right on the land where the Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan campus was built seven decades ago.
While the order has been challenged in the Supreme Court, the sit-in protest at the site continues. An SC bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha will next hear the matter on July 14.
The Akhil Bhartiya Sarva Sewa Sangh is a registered society that was established in 1948 by Acharya Vinoba Bhave, with the aim of propagating the ideas and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi. After an order passed by Varanasi District Magistrate S Rajalingam on June 27, Northern Railway authorities pasted a notice on the Sarv Seva Sangh premises stating that it must be evicted, and the structures on the 12.90-acre land will be demolished on June 30.
On June 30, Gandhian followers, thinkers and social activists from all around the country gathered at the campus and started a protest.
It also caught the attention of political leaders. Congress general secretary and UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra took to Facebook and wrote about the demolition notice, stating that it is an "attack on the legacy of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi".
“Sarva Seva Sangh was established in Varanasi by the efforts of Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Babu Jagjivan Ram. The purpose of this was to spread Gandhiji’s thoughts. This land was also bought under the leadership of these great men. This building was built by Gandhi Memorial Fund and Jayprakash Narayanji’s donation collection,” she added. “Today BJP administration calling it illegal and starting action is an attempt to attack Mahatma Gandhi ji’s thoughts and his heritage. We strongly condemn this extremely shameful action and pledge to stand firm against every attack on Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. The people of the country will never tolerate the attack of BJP on the superheroes of our country and national heritage."
Local branches of opposition parties, including Congress, SP, and CPI, have sent their representatives to join the "Satyagraha". During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to his constituency on July 7-8, the Sarva Seva Sangh requested a meeting to express their grievances, but it was denied.
Land Dispute Dating Back 2 Decades
The campus is located behind the Kashi railway station, on the GT Road, with the Ganga flowing nearby. Amid vast greenery, it accommodates various facilities, including the Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan, a publication house, a preschool offering free education to children from economically weaker sections, a guest house, a library with an extensive collection of books, a meeting hall, a Gandhi Arogya Kendra (a naturopathy centre), a youth training centre, a Khadi Bhandar (a store selling khadi products), and a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
The 12.9-acre campus, now divided by a barricade, also houses the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan, which was allocated to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. The dispute seems to originate from this.
Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan, the publishing wing of Sarva Seva Sangh, was established in 1955 during Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement. As per the organisations' website, Bhave recognised the need for the publication of Sarvodaya Literature to spread Mahatma Gandhi's message while he was travelling in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
“Varanasi was considered an ideal place for publication for this purpose. Late Shri Jamnalal Jain came to Varanasi from Wardha in 1955. Thus Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan came into existence,” the website says.
It adds: “It was 1958-59, a piece of Railway land behind Kashi Railways station and near river Ganges and GT Road came into the notice of Radhakrishna Bajaj. This piece of land was purchased from Railways in 1960-61 and 70. Late Lal Bahadur Shastri was closely associated with Sarva Seva Sangh, played in key role in it. Later on the building was constructed.”
At the protest site inside Sarva Seva Sangh, Ramdheeraj, the president of Sarva Seva Sangh, Rajghat, Varanasi, told ABP Live that it was Jayaprakash Narayan, another popular Gandhian follower and socialist leader, who established the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan in 1960 to “understand the sociological impact of the movement”.
Ramdheeraj, who joined the organisation during the JP movement, said that the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan worked very efficiently till 2002-03 but later “due to internal conflicts the institute was shut”.
Jagriti Rahi, a social activist who was also present at the sit-in, told ABP Live that the dispute started around 2003 after Professor Kusumlata Kedia was made the director of the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan.
“She filed multiple cases against the organisation... the registration of Gandhi Vidya Sansthan was cancelled, the board of the trust was also questioned…there was a long period of legal battle,” she said.
A case study published on the legal affairs website Indiankanoon.com shows how multiple cases and petitions led to the cancellation of the society’s registration and subsequent government order. The Gandhi Vidya Sansthan, a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, faced challenges related to the renewal of its registration, financial irregularities, and dissolution proceedings, according to the website.
The Indian Council of Social Sciences and Research (ICSSR), a government research institute, had provided financial aid to the institute from 1977 onwards. However, complaints and objections raised by a Special Audit Team led to the suspension of grants by ICSSR and the Uttar Pradesh government in 2000, the report says.
During the same time, Sansthan applied for the renewal of its registration, but no action was taken by the authorities. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed in court to renew the registration. During the renewal process, a notice was sent to the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan asking them to explain why the society should not be dissolved. However, no response was given, and the dissolution application was dismissed for lack of prosecution. Subsequent applications for dissolution were filed, and legal proceedings ensued.
The legal actions and allegations made by different parties made the situation more complex.
In 2007, a committee was formed to look for a solution to run the Sansthan, Rahi said, adding that the Sarva Seva Sangh wanted to reopen the institute and recently approached the courts to assert their claim on the land of Gandhi Vidya Sansthan as the registration of the institute was already cancelled.
On May 15, 2023, Ramdheeraj said, the Varanasi District Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma sent an SDM with the police to reopen the Gandhi Vidya Sansthan and said the institution is being given to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture, which works as a centre for research in the field of the arts.
When the matter reached the Allahabad High Court on June 16, it directed the Varanasi DM to verify the land records of the Sarv Seva Sangh. The court also asked the Sangh to move a civil court to decide the title of the land.
DM Rajalingam began the hearing on May 29, 2023, after informing the stakeholders about it.
Ramdheeraj said: “The DM was asked to verify the land deeds. But instead of verifying the papers, DM on the basis of a 3-line letter by a man whose identity is not verified, made the railway a party in the case. The railway made its claim on the land and the DM order said that the railway engineer has no authority to sell this land.”
He added that the Sarva Seva Sangh purchased the land in Pargana Dehat, Varanasi, through registered sale deeds in 1960, 1961, and 1970.
"We provided evidence such as SBI Challan showing the deposited money, registry papers with the railway engineer's signature, and the President's order. However, all of this was disregarded. They wanted a gazette notification on the sale,” said Ramdheeraj, adding that they have filed an RTI application on this.
Jagriti Rahi said they went to the HC after the order, "and they told us to go to civil court for the land title".
"The HC order shows that DM has gone out of his jurisdiction to decide the matter,” she said.
While DM Rajalingam could not be contacted for a comment despite repeated attempts, previous media reports quoted him as saying that the land belongs to the Northern Railway.
“The records clearly show that the land belongs to Railways…the Sangh is relying on a sale deed which was supposedly executed by a Divisional Engineer on behalf of the President of India. There is no government order or authorisation letter in support of the claim. The Sangh failed to prove their ownership and hence I complied with the Allahabad High Court orders and issued an order (on June 26). Now, the matter is between the Railways and the Society,” he told The Indian Express, on July 5.
Following his order, the Northern Railway issued the eviction order.
On the day of the scheduled demolition, a protest was held on the Varanasi premises of the society with police force deployed at the spot.
On July 3, the Allahabad HC refused to entertain a petition filed by the Akhil Bharat Sarva Seva Sangh but asked to maintain the status quo until the matter is heard.
On June 7, the Supreme Court acknowledged a plea filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan and agreed to hear Sarv Sewa Sangh's petition challenging the demolition.
Also Read: Monsoon Session: Govt Lists Bills On Delhi Services Ordinance, Digital Data Protection
Institution Backed By Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri: Sarva Seva Sangh Chief
Varanasi Sarva Seva Sangh president Ramdheeraj said the land for the organisation was given to them by the country’s first President on the initiative of the then railway minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The campus has also been closely associated with Jayaprakash Narayan, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, and other freedom fighters, he said.
“Nobody can accuse our national leader Lal Bahadur Shastri of committing fraud. Two other leaders, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Acharya Vinoba Bhave you are accusing… Bhave collected lakhs of acres of land to distribute among poors… why would that man do something wrong just for 12-acre land. You have given Bharat Ratna to these leaders, and now accusing them of fraud is not only disrespect of these leaders but also of the nation and the people who believe in the Sarvodaya movement.” Ramdheeraj said in a choking voice.
He also recalled how during the Emergency they worked together with the RSS and leaders like Murli Manohar Joshi, Rajnath Singh, and others. “I went to Jail with Rajnath Singh during the period…General VK Singh came here during the Anna movement. Now, no one is speaking against the wrong policies of this authority."