Dedicated locality research platform
Enter your email address and you will receive
a link to reset your password
In a noteworthy ruling, the Bombay High Court, on October 5, took a decisive step by lifting the stay on the demolition of a shop situated within the premises of a housing society in Jawahar Nagar, Goregaon (west). This decision highlighted a worrying trend where many people think they can easily make unauthorized constructions and then expect them to be legalized, blurring the lines between what's legal and illegal in planning law. Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata expressed concerns that regularization is now viewed as a fundamental right. Many believe planning laws do not matter, and they can build unauthorized structures and seek regularization.
The owner of the shop, Prakash Aswani, had sought the High Court's intervention to challenge the BMC's demolition notice issued in November 2021. As an interim measure pending further hearings, the High Court had previously stayed the demolition until December 2021. In January 2023, Vallabha Krupa CHS informed the High Court that the shop obstructed the ongoing redevelopment of their building as it had been constructed in the passage leading to the building's entrance. Aswani's advocate, Hrushi Narvekar, admitted that there were no building permissions obtained for the shop. He explained that the shop was constructed prior to BMC's 1962 datum line, and Prakash Aswani's father took possession of it only in June 1995.
However, the judges clarified that this information did not bolster Aswani's case. Under municipal law, a structure must either be authorized or considered a 'tolerable' structure, proving its existence prior to a specific datum line. The judges dismissed claims that the shop had been in existence for a long time as legally inconsequential. Furthermore, the judges expressed their exasperation, noting that in nearly every case involving unauthorized constructions, the same defence was trotted out: applications for regularization or appeals against rejections under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act.
BMC's advocate, Kunal Waghmare, confirmed that the structure had no official permissions and that applications for regularization had been rejected in both 2013 and 2022. The judges found it problematic that the situation had evolved to the point where the regularization of an unauthorized structure was treated as an unquestionable right. They asserted that this undermined the fundamental principles of planning law, blurring the line between an irregularity that could be regularized and an illegality that, by definition, cannot be rectified.
In conclusion, the High Court dismissed Aswani's petition and lifted the stay. The judges declined Narvekar's request to extend the stay for an additional four weeks, stating that the petitioner had already benefited from the stay order for an extended period.
Propscience is India’s dedicated property news portal. We cover the latest events, news, trends, deals, new launches and more.
All our services and tools are completely free of cost and available 24X7!
We use cookies to give you the best possible service while using our website, please click accept and carry on browsing if you're happy with this. For more information see our Privacy Policy.
Okay, Got it!This disclaimer ("Disclaimer") is applicable to the entire Site. Upon entering the Site it is recommended that you immediately read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy listed therein. Your continued usage of this Site will indicate your unconditional acceptance of the said Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. You hereby agree that Propscience reserves the right to modify at any time, the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy governing this Site without prior notification. Your usage of the Site implies that you will be bound by any such modification. You agree and acknowledge that it is your responsibility to periodically visit the Site and stay updated with the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy of the Website.
The information contained in this Site has been provided by Propscience for information purposes only. This information does not constitute legal, professional or commercial advice. Communication, content and material within the Site may include photographs and conceptual representations of projects under development. All computer-generated images shown on the Site are only indicative of actual designs and are sourced from third party sites.
The information on this Site may contain certain technical inaccuracies and typographical errors. Any errors or omissions brought to the attention of Propscience will be corrected as soon as possible. The content of this Site is being constantly modified to meet the terms, stipulations and recommendations of the Real Estate Regulation Act, 2016 ("RERA") and rules made thereunder and may vary from the content available as of date. All content may be updated from time to time and may at times be out of date. Propscience accepts no responsibility for keeping the information in this website up to date or any liability whatsoever for any failure to do so.
While every care has been taken to ensure that the content is useful, reliable and accurate, all content and information on the Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Propscience does not accept any responsibility or liability with regard to the content, accuracy, legality and reliability of the information provided herein, or, for any loss or damage caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with reliance on the use of such information. No information given under this Site creates a warranty or expands the scope of any warranty that cannot be disclaimed under applicable law.
This Site provides links to other websites owned by third parties. Any reference or mention to third party websites, projects or services is for purely informational purposes only. This information does not constitute either an endorsement or a recommendation. Propscience accepts no responsibility for the content, reliability and information provided on these third-party websites. Propscience will not be held liable for any personal information of data collected by these third parties or for any virus or destructive properties that may be present on these third-party sites.
Your use of the Site is solely at your own risk. You agree and acknowledge that you are solely responsible for any action you take based upon this content and that Propscience is not liable for the same. All details regarding a project/property provided on this Site are updated on the basis of information available from the respective developers/owners/promoters. All such information will not be construed as an advertisement. To find out more about a project / development, please register/contact us to visit the site you are interested in. All decisions taken by you in this regard will be taken independently and Propscience will not be liable for any such loss in connection with the same. This Site is for guidance only. Your use of this Site - including any suggestions set out in the Site and or any use of the resources available on this Site, do not create any professional - client relationship between you and Propscience. Propscience cannot accept you as a client until certain formalities and requirements are met.
We use cookies to give you the best possible service while using our website, please accept it and continue browsing if you're happy with this. For more information see our Privacy Policy