States cannot name villages after individuals, castes and religion if the purpose is to ensure communal harmony, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The court passed the order while allowing an appeal filed by Bhika Ram and another villager from Rajasthan’s Barmer district to name two villages after two individuals who had donated land to the local gram panchayat.

When the Rajasthan government invited objections in January to an order on panchayats and panchayat samitis, villagers of Meghwalo ki Dhani said the names of two new revenue villages — Amargarh and Sagatsar — were derived from the names of individuals who had donated land.

On a writ petition filed by the villagers, Rajasthan High Court quashed the notification naming the two villages in keeping with state policy. A division bench set aside the order, following which Bhika Ram and another village approached the Supreme Court.

A bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe took note of the Rajasthan government’s 2009 circular laying down that “while deciding the name, it shall be ensured that it is not based on any person, religion, caste, or sub-caste”.

The court said “the aforesaid circular is in the nature of a policy decision”.