Madhi gram panchayat accused of blocking Muslim traders at Kanifnath yatra by not accepting applications despite court stay

Nashik: In Madhi village of Ahilyanagar's Pathardi taluka, Muslim traders from outside the village alleged that the gram panchayat had not accepted their applications for no-objection certificates (NOCs) required to do business during the 700-year-old annual Kanifnath Yatra, citing a Feb 2025 gramsabha resolution. The resolution, however, was stayed by the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay high court.Several Muslim traders said they tried to submit their applications to the gram panchayat officer for NOCs, but the applications were not accepted.Nasir Shaikh, the president of Congress Pathardi taluka unit, said only one application was accepted by the gram panchayat, but the NOC has not been issued yet. Three other people's applications were not even accepted by the gram panchayat."The gramsabha decision was nullified by the then block development officer. Still, some members of the Muslim community sought justice from the high court, and the HC too stayed the gramsabha decision. The grampanchayat is now not accepting applications from the Muslim community members at all — in order to not create any record," claimed Nasir Shaikh.The yatra starts on the day of Holi and culminates on Gudhi Padwa. This year, it started on March 2 and will continue till March 19, with peak participation expected March 8 onwards."This is the time when the shopkeepers apply for the permissions. Therefore, some traders attempted to set up shops in the village during the Yatra. However, they are not being entertained," added Shaikh.Some traders said they have decided not to set up stalls at all. "There were several senior politicians who held public gatherings in Madhi, and they warned the members of our community against trying to set up any shop during the Yatra. We have, therefore, decided not to attempt," said a 36-year-old businessman on the condition of anonymity.Sanjay Markad, the former sarpanch of the village who is now the administrator, said, "Taking the decision is within the gramsabha's rights. The high court has not scrapped the earlier decision, nor has any other gramsabha of an elected body been held to nullify the earlier decision. We are doing what people want."Dadabhau Gunjal, the deputy chief executive officer of Ahilyanagar, however, said there has been no fresh resolution on the issue and, therefore, no such decision is in force. "Since the earlier decision was held void by the then BDO, and even the HC ordered stay, there is no order that will allow such discrimination," said the officer."During our recent meeting, the gramsabha was asked to ensure there is no discrimination on the grounds of faith. People who are seeking permissions need to abide by the local traditions. As of now, I have received no complaint from anybody. If there are any complaints, we will take appropriate action," said Gunjal.