Here's a story of a land battle that spans decades, involving the Ambernath Sahakari Samudayik Shetki Society Limited and the State of Maharashtra. It’s a tale of land grants, cultivation promises, and legal struggles.
Back in 1961, the State of Maharashtra gave a large area of land to the Ambernath Sahakari Samudayik Shetki Society Limited for farming. The land, located in Ambernath, District Thane, was meant to be farmed by society members, who started with just 20 members and grew to over 200.
"The society shall pay no occupancy price for the grant."
The conditions were clear: farm the land or face losing it. But there was a problem—some of the land was rocky and not good for farming.
Fast forward to 1971, the Ambernath Society received a warning notice. Out of 210 acres, only 95 were farmed, breaking the agreement. The society argued that parts of the land were used for planting trees like cashew nuts, which was allowed.
In 1980, another notice arrived, accusing the society of building without permission and not farming 97 acres.
In April 1983, the State of Maharashtra decided to take back the land. The Ambernath Society fought back, leading to a court case. The High Court initially sided with the society, noting their efforts to farm difficult land.
"The Appellant had tried to cultivate the subject land which was not cultivable."
However, in 1989, a new order took back the land, citing failure to meet the farming conditions.
By 2005, parts of the land were set aside for public use, including a government medical college. Despite the Ambernath Society's appeals, the High Court dismissed their request in January 2010.
"The State shall be entitled to resume all the lands not under cultivation."
On January 3, 2011, the Collector took back 194 acres, as only a small portion was farmed. The Ambernath Society's appeal was dismissed in 2026, with the court emphasizing the land's potential public benefit.
