The Gujarat government has transferred Surat Municipal Commissioner M. Nagarajan out of his position following strong remarks from the Gujarat High Court, which warned that an ongoing probe into a May 30 demolition drive in Nasirnagar would be compromised if senior administrative and police personnel stayed on duty.
Under a notification released late Tuesday night by the state General Administration Department, Nagarajan has been reassigned to Gandhinagar as the state project director for Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. He replaces Ranjeeth Kumar, who has been appointed secretary of the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission—a role he previously held as an additional charge. In Surat, Collector Tejas Parmar has assumed additional responsibility as municipal commissioner.
Administrative Shift Follows Court Mandate
The administrative reshuffle stems from a legal challenge brought by 26 displaced residents after a municipal clearance operation in Nasirnagar left nearly 100 families without shelter. Reviewing the case on Monday, the high court stated that the demolition appeared illegal on first view and emphasized that state authorities must remove senior officers, including the civic chief and the deputy commissioner of police, from their posts during the investigation to guarantee an impartial inquiry.
Judicial Criticism Over Rehabilitation Proposal
The court also dismissed a proposal submitted by the outgoing civic chief seeking to rehouse the displaced families through an economically weaker section scheme in partnership with a non-governmental organization. Ruling that public bodies cannot outsource their obligations, the court declared that the burden of restoring housing rests entirely on the municipal corporation and state officials. Meanwhile, a high-level committee appointed by the state government is investigating procedural lapses in the drive, with five junior civic employees suspended to date.
Events Leading to Demolition Action
According to court filings submitted by Nagarajan prior to his transfer, the land in question is privately owned and was slated for third-party development. Although a plot validation certificate requested for the location was denied on March 12, the developer subsequently requested a physical marking of the street line. Civic officials notified local police to facilitate this demarcation process on May 30, during which the structures were torn down.
