Bombay High Court tells state to remove seal from Eros Cinema building

The Bombay High Court has asked the City Collector on Thursday to forthwith remove the seal on Eros Cinema and other premises in the Cambata Building opposite Churchgate railway station. The entire premises, which includes several offices, restaurants, a gymnasium and the iconic Eros Cinema, was sealed on Wednesday as per an order of Collector Ashiwni Joshi.

The cinema and the SC Cambata Trust, which owns the building, had moved the high court challenging the order, claiming it to be 'arbitrary and illegal'.

Their pleas stated that the sealing of the Eros Cinema and other premises have been done without following due procedures and giving personal hearing or notice to the tenants. The petition prayed that the court call for records and documents of the concerned matter from the authorities, and after going through them, quash and set aside the impugned order passed by the Collector directing the tahsildar to seal the building.

A division bench of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and Prakash Naik held that, prima facie, the action taken was in haste, and proceedings for attachment could have been initiated, but it should not have been sealed.