The Bombay High Court on September 20 ordered Mumbai’s civic to demolish illegal portions of a bungalow belonging to Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party’s leader Narayan Rane’s company.
A Division Bench headed by Justice R.D. Dhanuka was hearing a petition filed by Kaalka Real Estate Private Limited associated with Mr. Rane’s family seeking directions to the civic body to consider a fresh proposal for regulation of alleged unauthorised sections of his residence under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act.
The court said, “Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation [BMC] cannot be allowed to take steps inconsistent in stand with the Supreme Court judgments and provisions of the statutes. If application for retention is allowed irrespective, then that would lead to encouragement of wholesale construction over reaching the idea for allowing retention. Admittedly the petitioners have constructed three times above the permissible limit.”
“The application for proposed retention will amount to encouragement of large scale violation within the city of Mumbai without any concern for the statutory provisions. We are not impressed by the petitioner’s argument about the additional floor space index for regularisation.”
The Bench dismissed the petition seeking regularisation and imposed costs of ₹10 lakh on the company to be deposited with the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority.
The company filed the fresh regularisation application before BMC under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.
On June 23, 2022, a Bench had dismissed another the petition by Kaalka Real Estate seeking regularisation and said, “Prima facie construction carried out is totally unauthorised, the question of political rivalry does not arise.”
