List number of flats for poor Parsis, orders HC

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Parsi Punchayet to file an affidavit stating the number of flats under its control that are available for allotment to poor Parsis.

The Punchayet, one of the richest trusts in the city, controls vast properties and Parsi baugs across the city and one of its functions is to allot flats to needy Parsis.

The court has also asked the Punchayet to list the number of vacant flats that are not free for allotment and the total number of flats allotted to needy Parsis since December 2006. Punchayets lawyer Rafiq Dada told the court that currently only 74 flats are available for allotment and 64 names from the list finalised by earlier trustees have been approved for allotment. He sought permission to allot flats to 10 other Parsis not on the list, stating that they are more deserving. Senior counsel Iqbal Chagla, who represented some Parsis who have been left out of the allotment process, alleged that his clients were being punished for not voting for the current trustees. He refuted the claim that the earlier trustees had been pressurised to include some undeserving persons in the allotment list.

Advocate Nilima Dutta said that trustees have been allotting flats against a refundable deposit of Rs25 lakh to affluent Parsis. “What business do they have to remove flats available to poor Parsis and giving it to the rich?” she asked. The HC will hear the matter in June.