Bombay HC asks BJP to demolish illegal construction at Mumbai office

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked BJP to remove illegally constructed portion of its state headquarters in the Nariman Point area in Mumbai within six months. The court allowed the ruling party to retain the construction which is authorised.

A division bench, headed by Justice Abhay Oka, was hearing a PIL alleging that the BJP office occupies over 4,000 sq feet of area and not all of it is authorised.

The BJP lawyer had told the court on Tuesday that it was ready to reduce the constructed space to 1,200 square feet, as sanctioned originally. The HC on Wednesday directed that the civic body should demolish illegal part of the building if the party didn't do it in six months. It asked BJP to ascertain within three months how much area had been earmarked for its office as per the development plan of 1991.

The judges also asked the government to consider shifting offices of the state undertakings such as Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation and the State Employment Exchange, and also that of Janata Dal from this area which was originally reserved for `recreational garden'.

Maharashtra Advocate General Srihari Aney had told the division bench earlier that "anything not permissible under the law must go".

According to the petitioner `Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Welfare Trust', there exists no sanctioned plan of the BJP office building. It has also taken objection to other buildings in the area, saying it is reserved for a recreational garden in the development plan.