The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a plea challenging the renaming of the city of Aurangabad to 'Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar'. The petition, filed by Advocate Fuzail Ayyubi, challenges the approval granted by the Union of India and the State of Maharashtra to the letter of the Divisional Commissioner, Aurangabad, dated 4 March 2020, proposing the name change. The plea was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice PS Narasimha, and Justice JB Pardiwala.
According to the petitioner, a similar attempt to rename Aurangabad was challenged in 1996, which travelled up to the Supreme Court, and status quo was ordered. However, the notification was later withdrawn by the state government. The current attempt to rename the city was again challenged by the petitioner through a PIL pending in the High Court of Bombay. Despite the pendency of the petition, the Union of India granted approval to the proposed name change, as stated in the petition.
The State of Maharashtra issued notifications on 24 February 2023, officially changing the name of the city, Taluka and District – Aurangabad, Maharashtra, to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Taluka and District – Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Additionally, the state government issued a notification under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, calling for objections to draft notification renaming the revenue divisions of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar.
The plea argues against the renaming of Aurangabad, stating that it disregards the city's history and culture. The Supreme Court has agreed to list the plea on 24 March 2023.