New Delhi:

The Gujarat government on Friday informed the Supreme Court the land, where the alleged illegal demolitions of Muslim religious structures took place at Gir Somnath, will remain with it and not allotted to any third party.

A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Gujarat government, and did not pass any interim status quo order in the meantime as sought by the counsel of the Muslim parties.

“The solicitor general states until further orders, the possession of the land in question shall remain with the government and not be allotted to any third parties. In that view of the matter, we do not find it necessary to pass any interim order,” the bench said.

The bench was hearing a plea against a Gujarat High Court order by which a status quo order on demolitions of Muslim religious structures was declined.

The top court is also dealing with a separate contempt plea against the Gujarat authorities for allegedly illegally demolishing residential and religious structures in the state despite an interim stay and without its prior nod.

The plea had sought initiation of the contempt proceedings against the state authorities for the alleged violation of the top court’s September 17 order. The top court had then halted the demolition of properties, including of persons accused of crimes, in the country without its permission. The plea would come up on November 11 for hearing.

The bench had ordered listing of a fresh plea of Auliya-e-Deen Committee against the high court order on the same day.

At the outset, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Auliya-e-Deen Committee of Junagadh, said the structures belonging to a particular community, had been demolished but temples on the government land there had been spared.

Protected monuments were razed on the ground that they were near a water body, the Arabian Sea, he claimed.

The solicitor general opposed the submissions and said only those structures, which were built on encroached government land and not protected under law, had been demolished.

The bench refused to pass a status quo order and assured it could also order the restoration.

Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi while representing another litigant claimed the structures on a legitimate Wakf land were targeted.

“On a Saturday, when proceedings were pending, they proceeded overnight and demolished the structures,” he said. Huzefa Ahmadi expressed his client’s apprehension on the government allotting the land to a third party and sought a status quo order.

“Till next date, let the possession be with the government,” the bench observed. After Tushar Mehta stated that the land would remain with the government, the bench recorded it and deferred the hearing.

On October 4, the top court had cautioned the authorities, saying it will ask them to restore the structures if it found them acting in contempt of its recent order against such action.

The bench, however, had refused to order status quo on the demolition near the Somnath temple in Gujarat.

On September 28, authorities in Gujarat reportedly carried out a demolition drive to clear encroachments on government land near the Somnath temple in Gir Somnath district.

The administration said religious structures and concrete houses were demolished during the drive that freed around 15 hectares of government land valued at Rs 60 crore.

On October 1, the top court reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas alleging properties, including those accused of crime, were being demolished in several states.

The top court said it would frame pan-India guidelines on the demolition of properties and until it decides the matter the September 17 order would continue. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Saturday with the technology company IBM to establish and promote an AI Cluster leveraging IBM’s Watson to foster innovation and collaboration among financial institutions in Gujarat International Finance Tec (GIFT) City.

According to the MoU, financial institutions in GIFT City will gain access to AI Sandbox, assistance in providing proof of concept, AI Literacy programs, and Digital Assistant Solutions.

Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel, “This MoU with IBM will help Gujarat to lead the country in efforts to adopt AI and drive digital transformation.”

As part of this MoU, IBM will provide software technologies and platforms over a cloud environment enabling financial institutions to customize and fine-tune large language AI models in a sandbox environment. IBM will also aim to build a Digital assistant-based solution that facilitates the onboarding and integration of these customized large language models for financial institutions.

“Using AI for business is a strategic priority for enterprises today to gain competitive advantage through better productivity, innovation and customer experience,” said Sandip Patel, Managing Director, IBM India & South Asia.

He also added “This collaboration is a significant step in our continued association with the Government of Gujarat to accelerate the digital transformation of the state. By establishing this AI cluster, our aim is to make the latest AI solutions easily accessible to the vibrant and growing number of financial institutions in GIFT City.”

IBM also stated that it will develop an AI curriculum for schools and universities across Gujarat, which aligns with its commitment to skill 30 million people by 2030 and train 2 million learners in AI by the end of 2026.

“These MoUs are very detailed. We are also working to expedite the AI adoption in MSMEs. It is our effort to bring this futuristic technology to the people” said Mona Khandhar Principal Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology during the signing of MoU.

The collaboration also includes literacy programs and certifications for professionals in the state to enhance the skill sets of professionals, preparing the state’s talent for the AI-driven future economy.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)