The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed multiple petitions challenging the renaming of Aurangabad and Osmanabad districts in Maharashtra, confirming the previous ruling of the Bombay High Court. The bench, which included Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, endorsed the High Court’s “well reasoned” decision, emphasizing that the renaming of places falls within the purview of state authority.
Justice Roy noted during the proceedings, “For people living in an area, there will always be agreement and disagreement over the name of the place. There will always be people who say it should be A, others B or C. The decision has to be taken by the State.”
The districts, now known as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Dharashiv, were officially renamed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2021 and subsequently ratified by the Eknath Shinde government in July 2022. The name changes have sparked considerable debate, with detractors claiming the move was politically motivated while supporters argue it reflects the regions’ historical contexts.
Petitioners, including local residents, contested the renaming as a politically charged decision lacking substantive justification. However, the Maharashtra government defended its action as grounded in historical significance, a stance ultimately upheld by the judiciary.
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In its ruling last year, the Bombay High Court had dismissed the petitions against the renaming, deeming them “bereft of merits” and asserting that the state’s notification did not merit judicial interference. The court even referenced Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” to underline its point, stating, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
