India, March 28 -- The Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India which manages the historic Empress Botanical Garden in Pune, has strongly opposed the state government's decision to allot a portion of the garden land for construction of court buildings and related judicial infrastructure.

As per a government resolution (GR) issued by the revenue and forest department on March 6, 2026, nearly 4,000 square metres (approximately one acre) of land inside Empress Garden has been proposed to be transferred for judicial use. The allotment has been cleared under provisions of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966; and norms governing the allocation of government land. According to the resolution, the land will be transferred in the name of t...