The Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) plea filed against the decision of the Union government, to rename Habibganj station (in Bhopal) after 18th Century Gond Queen, Rani Kamalapati.
A Division bench of Justices Sheel Nagu and Sunita Yadav imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the petitioner, Ahmad Sayeed Qureshi.
“The present petition is a frivolous and vexatious piece of litigation which has consumed precious time of this court, which could have been utilised in hearing and deciding more pressing matters and therefore, the petitioner deserves to be saddled with cost.”
The petitioner had alleged that the name of ‘Habibganj’ Railway station had been wrongly changed to ‘Rani Kamlapati’ Railway station and therefore, the order of November 12,2021 should be rejected.
The petitioner further added that in the year 1973, Guru Habeeb Miyan had donated a portion of his land to the Railway Department and the railway station was built on the donated land, therefore it should be named after the man, Habeeb, who donated the land for the railway station. He said that the renaming of the station to ‘Rani Kamlapti’ has hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community.
However, the bench said that the court fails to comprehend as to how the name of a particular railway station would lead to furtherance of public cause.
“The cause of public is served by the quality and quantity of amenities and facilities available at a railway station so as to facilitate the ease of travelling by train. This act of facilitation has nothing to do with the name of a particular railway station.”
The court, further noted, that the petition was filed just to gain cheap publicity and it consumed the precious time of the court.
“The present petition stands dismissed with the cost of ₹10,000 which shall be paid by the petitioner in the registry to be utilised for purchasing necessary articles and equipment for dealing with the crisis arising out of the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently inaugurated the newly renovated Rani Kamlapati Railway Station earlier known as Habibganj Railway Station on November 15, 2021. Rani Kamlapati was a fiery, brave and fearless queen of the Gond Kingdom in the 18th century and she was the last Hindu queen of Bhopal.