The Indian army was reportedly neither informed nor consulted by the Uttar Pradesh government before the latter “denotified” a village, earlier reserved as a buffer zone for the army’s firing and artillery practices near the Ayodhya cantonment, as per a Right to Information response.

The denotification, announced by the state government over four months ago, has unlocked the village, Majha Jamthara, for commercial activity. 

The village is a few kilometers from the Ram Temple complex and close to the Saryu river. Months before the Ram Temple consecration in January this year, an Adani Group subsidiary, close associates of yoga guru and businessman Baba Ramdev, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravishankar, and several other high-profile individuals bought land parcels in the village.

Earlier, Majha Jamthara and 13 other villages in its vicinity were notified by the UP governor for a period of five years up to 2025 as a buffer zone for the army’s artillery exercises. It was done to keep “common citizens safe from any untoward incidents during firing” under Section 9(2) of the Manoeuvres Field Firing and Artillery Practice Act of 1938. As notified, the buffer zone land is managed by the revenue department, and its use is limited to agriculture, and no permanent structure could be built on it, according to sources.

In the run-up to the Ram temple construction, the village has become prime land due to its proximity to the temple complex and growing religious tourism.

Ayodhya cantonment kept in dark

The said RTI application was filed by Ayodhya-based lawyer Praveen Kumar Dubey last month, asking if the army was consulted and informed, and gave approval for the denotification.

In reply to the application, the Ayodhya Cantonment administration said: “Before the state civil administration denotified Majha Jamthara, this office was not informed about it.”

The reply dated October 8 further noted that the Ayodhya Cantonment had not given consent — “orally or in writing” — to the state government’s decision.

But Dubey claimed that just like the notification process, the state government should inform and consult with the army before denotifying land parcels under the 1938 Act.

A government lawyer said since the village land is not owned by the army, the state government was well within its rights to denotify the village. When asked about the procedure for denotification and if it was mandatory for the state to consult the army, he said, “We are discussing with legal experts to learn more about legal provisions for denotification.”

Ayodhya district magistrate Chandra Vijay Singh could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off throughout the day. This report will be updated if we are able to get a comment.

In the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, before which the army and the UP administration are fighting a legal battle, the state government did not disclose if it consulted the army for denotification. On September 30, Zuhair Bin Sageer, special secretary with the department of general administration, informed the court that the denotification proposal was received from Ayodhya DM Singh.

Another point of legal contention is “unauthorised construction” in the 14 villages. Since February last year, the army has informed district authorities about alleged encroachment.

Newlaundry had earlier reported how encroachment has hindered the army’s drills. On September 30, the army informed the court that its heavy artillery exercises have been “greatly limited” due to “encroachment” in 14 villages, spread over 13,391 acres. Majha Jamthara is spread over 2,211 acres.

The court directed the Ayodhya Development Authority to “approve maps” — on a case-by-case basis — in the notified area along with no-objection certificates from the army.

The court is hearing a case on alleged encroachment in the buffer zone and is likely to decide on the merits of the denotification process in upcoming sittings. 

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