The Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has halted a government attempt to seize prime land belonging to Indore Christian College, a 139-year-old Church-run institution, after finding serious procedural irregularities and potential jurisdictional overreach by district authorities.
Justice Pranay Verma passed the interim order on 27 January, which was made public on 29 January, blocking the proposed takeover of approximately 1.7 hectares valued at around Rs 400 crore near Indore railway station.
The High Court granted relief after finding that authorities had violated established norms and ignored explicit directions to preserve the existing situation. Justice Verma observed that the collector’s order appeared designed “for the purpose of defeating” those directions.
The court identified troubling discrepancies in the timeline. While the case was scheduled for final consideration before the collector on 23 January 2026, officials had already issued their order on 12 January. The bench termed this arbitrary, noting the decision was taken while the matter remained under active consideration.
Additionally, the petition highlighted that the Additional Commissioner had issued explicit instructions on 19 January to maintain the status quo. The court noted allegations that the collector’s order may have been anti-dated to circumvent these instructions, raising further questions about administrative propriety.
The bench also found irregularities in how official records were handled to justify the seizure. The institution’s legal team argued that Indore Christian College does not fall within the category of landholders covered by Sections 181 and 182 of the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code. The collector nevertheless proceeded with the order. Justice Verma treated this as a substantial prima facie question, expressing doubt whether the collector possessed authority to act in this matter.
These concerns prompted the court to suspend the order’s operation and schedule detailed arguments after six weeks.
District Collector Shivam Verma’s order of 23 January directed the Additional Tehsildar of Juni Indore to seize the property within three days and register it as government land. The scheduled takeover on 29 January was postponed only after the institution filed its urgent petition through advocate Ajay Bagadia.
Authorities launched their investigation after the institution submitted plans for commercial development, including shops and offices, on portions of the campus. This triggered a review of historical land documents. Officials determined that the land, identified as survey number 407/1669/3, should be classified as government property under the Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1959, rather than owned by the institution.
According to district records, Maharani Bhagirathi Bai granted the land in 1887 during the Holkar era to the Canadian Mission specifically for operating a women’s hospital and school. The grant carried a condition: the property would remain with the Church only while used for these purposes, with reclamation rights reverting to the Maharaja’s successors if the purposes were abandoned.
Authorities claimed the original mission entity no longer exists, no women’s hospital operates at the site, and the institution uses merely 1.702 hectares of the total 68.303-hectare parcel. They concluded that seeking commercial development violated the grant’s fundamental terms.
This is not the institution’s first legal challenge to government action. The college initially contested a show-cause notice in the High Court, which ruled at that stage that the communication was merely a notice, not a final order, allowing the institution to respond to the collector. When the institution appealed to the Supreme Court, the apex court declined to intervene, holding that the collector possessed legal authority to reach a final decision after hearing the institution’s case. The current High Court stay addresses the collector’s subsequent final order directing immediate possession.
Principal Amit David firmly rejected the government’s claims. “The allegation that we deviated from the original use of the land is absolutely baseless,” he said. David maintains the property was gifted by the Holkar rulers, not leased by the government. “Since it was a gift from former rulers, the state cannot take it back,” he argued, adding that even if reclamation were proper, the land should revert to Holkar descendants, not the state.
On commercial development allegations, David clarified the institution merely sought permission to generate revenue through construction on unused portions, similar to other institutions. “Just seeking permission does not constitute a violation; if denied, we would drop the plan,” he stated. David said authorities acted unilaterally without consulting the institution or reviewing its records. He insists both the college and hospital continue operating according to the original grant terms.
The institution serves approximately 2,300 students in Arts, Commerce and Law programmes. Before receiving court relief, David had expressed alarm about impending February examinations: “Given the present scenario, we see no way out how to complete this academic session.”
Established in 1887 by the Canadian Mission, Indore Christian College operates under Protestant Christian Minority community management and holds official recognition as a religious minority institution from the Madhya Pradesh government. Affiliated with Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, the college counts Bollywood playback singer and actor Kishore Kumar among its alumni, who studied there from 1946 to 1948.
The case returns to the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court for detailed hearing in approximately six weeks, where questions of administrative jurisdiction and procedural transparency will face judicial scrutiny.
