Sara-Sahara tenants can be evicted: Mumbai civil court

Dismissing the appeal filed by 31 tenants of the infamous Sara-Sahara shopping complex, the civil court has observed that they can be evicted, that the land on which their shops were built belongs to the government, and that its possession was illegal.

Civil judge GA Sanap, while rejecting the appeal, gave them six weeks to appeal in a higher court. Failing this, the central public works department (CPWD) can evict the tenants. There are around 400 illegal tenants who have claimed possession rights.

According to the CPWD, the land was leased to one MA Oomin in 1939 by the then governor general. The agreement was between the two parties, with no clause of sub-letting or handing over tenancy rights. If the original lease expired, the rights would not have been passed on. Oomin died in 1979, and the rights were transferred back by default.

However, in 2001, Global Marketing, a firm headed by Abdul Rehman who has been convicted, sub-let the property to Sara Associates in connivance with BMC officials. Sara Associates then allowed tenants to start shops. 

When the case came to light and Dawood Ibrahim’s alleged involvement surfaced, the police arrested the accused. The special court then appointed a court receiver on the property. The CPWD also issued eviction notices to the tenants.

The tenants challenged the notices before the estate officer, who passed an order against them in 2009. They then moved the civil court, which upheld the eviction notice.