Collector must ensure removal of encroachments and rectification of revenue record anomalies to preserve village Gauchar land.

The petitioners filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging illegal encroachments on Gauchar (grazing) land in Village Bodi, District Botad, specifically across Survey Nos. 247A/1, 247B, and 247C.

In response to a court order dated 30.01.2026, the Collector constituted a revenue team to conduct a joint measurement and verify the status of the land against Form 7A records.

The inspection, carried out in February 2026, confirmed agricultural encroachments and identified discrepancies between current site measurements, District Survey Officer records from 1971, and revenue records (Forms 7A and 8A).

1. Whether there are unauthorized encroachments on the Gauchar land of Village Bodi requiring judicial or administrative intervention.

2. Whether the discrepancies between physical measurements on-site and the historical revenue records necessitate formal rectification under the law.

Gujarat Land Revenue Code, 1879, and the rules framed thereunder, specifically regarding the maintenance of revenue records and the rectification of anomalies in land surveys.

The administrative obligations of the District Development Officer and the Collector to preserve Gauchar land and remove unauthorized encroachments to maintain the public nature of grazing lands.

The court analyzed the findings presented in the Collector's affidavit dated 10.03.2026. The inspection report established a factual mismatch between the District Survey Officer’s 1971 records and the actual land available on-site.

The court noted that the Collector had already initiated the necessary administrative machinery by directing the District Development Officer (DDO) to remove agricultural encroachments and instructing the Superintendent of Land Records to submit proposals for rectifying the revenue records.

Since the state authorities had acknowledged the encroachments and the record discrepancies, and had begun the statutory process for correction and eviction, the court determined that the grievances raised in the PIL were being addressed through the appropriate legal channels.

The court directed the Collector to ensure that: (i) the removal of encroachments by the DDO is brought to a "logical end," and (ii) the revenue records are formally corrected based on the proposal of the Superintendent of Land Records.

The petitioners were granted liberty to seek further remedies if the authorities fail to implement these directions.