Gujarat pilgrim town rest houses allowed to function
April 14th, 2011 - 12:05 am ICT by IANSGandhinagar, April 13 (IANS) Dharamshalas or rest houses run by charitable trusts in the Jain pilgrimage town of Palitana can function after paying taxes applicable to commercially run guest houses, the Gujarat High Court ruled Wednesday.
A division bench of Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Sonia Gokani granted interim relief to nine such rest houses and directed the local civic body not to take any coercive action against them.
The petitioners, various charitable trusts in Palitana, have challenged the Palitana Municipality’s move to ask the dharmshalas to pay taxes applicable to guest houses.
A counsel for the petitioners, Paurami Sheth, said that the dharmashalas were not operated for profit and were run by organisations running on donations by pilgrims.
Sheth claimed that hundreds of such dharmashalas were functioning for the convenience of Jain pilgrims.
The petitioners claimed that the trusts were paying taxes on the basis of the assessment by the local municipality till 2007.
However, in June 2007, the state government formed new property tax rules, and the local municipality jacked up the dharamshalas’ tax rates.
They further claimed that the authority had threatened to seal the premises and did not even hear their representations.
- Relief for Gujarat construction company in tax case - Mar 07, 2011
- Court rejects IT department's plea against Nirma - Mar 23, 2011
- High court rejects IT department's plea against Nirma (Lead) - Mar 23, 2011
- High court reprieve for Hipolin - Apr 19, 2011
- Court asks Tata Sky, others to pay tax to Gujarat - Jan 03, 2011
- Gujarat High Court rebukes lawyer for high fee - Dec 15, 2010
- Gujarat civic poll process challenged - Apr 20, 2010
- Gujarat to move apex court on Lokayukta Thursday (Lead) - Jan 18, 2012
- Split verdict in Gujarat Lokayukta appointment case - Oct 11, 2011
- Gujarat ordered to compensate riot victims made homeless - Apr 23, 2010
- Gujarat High Court asks state to revise Lokayukta petition - Aug 29, 2011
- Gujarat Lokayukta's appointment upheld by high court (Third lead) - Jan 18, 2012
- Gujarat Lokayukta's appointment upheld by high court (Second lead) - Jan 18, 2012
- Court serves notice to power grid on Kutch creek towers - Feb 11, 2011
- Court rejects villagers' plea against Gujarat project - Jun 23, 2011
Tags: akil, charitable trusts, civic body, coercive action, division bench, guest houses, gujarat high court, interim relief, jain pilgrimage, kureshi, municipality, paying taxes, pilgrim, pilgrimage town, pilgrims, property tax rules, rest houses, sheth, sonia, tax rates