Orders status quo amid concerns over demolition
The Bombay High Court on Friday sought to know from the Urban Development Department (UDD) of Maharashtra government by when the heritage status will be granted to the residence of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, Savarkar Sadan, situated at Shivaji Park area of Central Mumbai.
The court passed an order while hearing a PIL by a public charitable trust called Abhinav Bharat Congress, seeking heritage status for the premises and a directive to declare the building 'monument of national importance' and formulate special compensation policy for its inhabitants.
The court issued notices to respondent authorities seeking their response to the PIL during next hearing on June 13 and ordered that till the said date the status of the property shall not be changed.
A division bench of Justices Atul S Chandurkar and Neela K Gokhale was hearing the PIL by the Trust filed through its co-founder and authorised representative, Professor Pankaj Phadnis, who resides in the building, seeking directive to the state UDD to issue a notification so as to include the 'Savarkar Sadan' property in the heritage list in terms of final recommendation of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to Principal Secretary UDD through letter dated August 30, 2010.
The petitioner contended that the Municipal Architect (Development Plan) of the BMC on January 20, 2012, too, had written to the UDD to make such a recommendation for heritage status to the said property.
The petitioner claimed that after an inaction of more than ten years, the Chief Minister's Office on February 1, 2025 forwarded to UDD an email sent by the petitioner raising grievances, requiring the steps to be taken and enquiries to be made in the matter.
The PIL alleged 'apathy' by the state government of 'sitting on recommendation to give the site a heritage status for fifteen years' and apprehended that the same has left the building vulnerable to demolition or redevelopment. It said that while Jinnah House is granted heritage status, Savarkar Sadan has remained unnotified despite having historical relevance.
Phadnis, citing a news report of earlier this month, apprehended that prior to such heritage status being bestowed to the said property, it is likely to be demolished.
After hearing the petitioner, the bench issued notices to respondents UDD, BMC, Mumbai Police and Union Ministry of Culture seeking their responses during the next hearing.
'Instructions be obtained from the first respondent (UDD) as regards the time within which the grant of heritage status to the aforesaid premises would be undertaken. Till the returnable date, the status of the said property shall not be changed and the position as prevailing today shall be maintained,' the bench noted in the order.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Maharashtra fills up all information commissioner posts, 5-year-old plea closed
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that it has filled all vacancies for the posts of State Chief Information Commissioner and State Information before the bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne, Additional Government Pleader Jyoti Chavan submitted that the position of Chief Information Commissioner and seven posts of State Information Commissioners have all been court was hearing a petition filed five years ago by former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi and other activists working in the field of transparency and governance. The plea had sought the immediate filling of vacant posts and the creation of three additional posts of State Information Commissioners in line with a previous Supreme Court order. During the hearing, Advocate Sunil Ahya, representing Gandhi, requested the court to fix a timeframe of 45 days for the disposal of second appeals under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, citing a large backlog of pending the bench acknowledged the concern, it pointed out that the RTI Act does not stipulate any specific time limit for deciding second appeals. However, the court observed, "It is trite law that even when a statute does not prescribe any limit for doing an act within a particular time, the same has to be done within a reasonable time."advertisementRegarding the demand for the creation of three additional posts, the state submitted that the financial implications of such a move are currently being considered, and an appropriate decision will be taken if the situation these submissions, the court disposed of the petition, bringing to a close a matter that had remained pending for half a decade.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Rehabilitate SGNP residents within 10km radius: Shinde
Mumbai: Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) slumdwellers should be rehabilitated within a 10km radius of the park, deputy CM Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday. "As per the court's directive, all civic facilities should be made residents get spacious houses by providing additional FSI," said Shinde during a review meeting of Kurla and Chandivli assembly constituencies. "The Gorakhdham site should be considered; it should be inspected and verified for rehabilitation," he added. Shinde also directed immediate repairs of MMRDA-built PAP buildings in Chandivli and said the 650-bed hospital, which is not yet operational, be handed over to BMC. Shinde said suggestions and objections have been invited regarding redevelopment of buildings in the airport's funnel zone in Vile Parle. "The responses will be studied and the errors rectified while finalising the policy. Discussions will be held with the Airports Authority of India on retaining the joggers park in Vile Parle (E)," he said. — Chaitanya Marpakwar
NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Goa-Born Christian Pak Man Seeks Citizenship Under CAA, Top Court Says...
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has refused to entertain an appeal from a Goa-born Pakistani Catholic man, who sought a direction to the Centre to grant him citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA, citing religious persecution in Pakistan. The court has asked him to approach the Bombay High Court for relief. Jude Mendes -- a chef at a restaurant in Goa -- had come to India six years after the CAA's cut-off date of January 2014. The 38-year-old was born in Goa to a Pakistani national in 1987 but migrated soon after and completed his studies in Karachi, Pakistan. He came to India in 2016 on a long-term visa, which has been extended till June 20. In 2020, he got his Aadhaar and married an Indian woman in February. India had cancelled all visas given to Pakistani nationals on April 25, three days after the Pahalgam terror attack on tourists by Pakistan-backed terrorists. But the long-term visa held by Mendes has not been cancelled. Advocate Raghav Awasthi told a partial working day bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan that "the petitioner is born in India and is a Roman Catholic, who is highly persecuted in Pakistan due to being a minority community". Mr Mendes, he said, cannot go to Pakistan to renew his passport, which is expiring on June 20, as there is a threat to his life. So he should be granted extension of his long-term visa, the advocate contended. The petitioner has said that his Indian birth and marriage to an Indian citizen may endanger his life due to extreme religious persecution in Pakistan. The bench, however, said he would have to approach the Bombay High Court for relief. Under the CAA, India has pledged to grant citizenship to people of minority communities who have been persecuted on basis of religion in neighbouring countries. The law, however, provides that they should have entered India before January 1, 2014.
