Demolish south Mumbai temple today, HC tells BMC
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed the civic administration to demolish a temple at Chira Bazaar with police protection by 5pm on Thursday, as there was no permission for its construction. The temple has been in existence since around 1985 and occupies 50 sq ft on a private plot in south Mumbai.
Justice S J Kathawalla, who passed the demolition order, did not accept the contention of Shree Sai Shraddha Trust, which manages the temple, that merely because it made payments to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for “assessment to property tax” from 2010, it was legal.
Cherag Balsara and Sameer Vaidya, lawyers for the trust, argued that the temple has been shown on a layout plan prepared by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority in 2010, and hence it was aware of its presence. The judge said a mere municipal assessment bill, nor a Mhada plan, cannot be relied on to contend that the structure is legal.
The temple case had traversed to the Supreme Court and back.
