MUMBAI: In a setback to dozens of families living in South Mumbai’s upscale Tardeo neighbourhood, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay a Bombay High Court order directing residents of the upper floors of Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society, constructed by Satellite Holdings, to vacate their homes for lack of an occupancy certificate (OC).
The residents, who have been living in flats from the 17th to 34th floor of the 34-storey building for over a decade, were earlier ordered by the Bombay High Court to vacate within two weeks. The court found the occupation illegal, citing grave violations of municipal and fire safety regulations.
Rejecting the housing society’s plea, the Supreme Court bench of justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan upheld the High Court’s ruling. “At the end of the day, the rule of law must prevail,” the judges said, calling the High Court’s order “very well considered, bold and lucid.” They also praised the court’s “courage and conviction” in tackling unauthorised constructions.
Construction of the building commenced in 1990, and flat owners started occupying their respective premises from 2008. As of now, 50 of the 62 flats in the high-rise are occupied. The apex court observed that showing sympathy to such illegal occupants would be “thoroughly misplaced” and stressed that legal norms must be respected to ensure public safety. The court dismissed the society’s special leave petition and directed that the High Court’s instructions be strictly followed. It also said appropriate legal action must be taken against any erring officials or wrongdoers.
The Bombay High Court’s order, passed on July 21 by justices G S Kulkarni and Arif S Doctor, stemmed from a petition filed by Sunil B Zaveri, a resident of the same building. Zaveri flagged multiple irregularities in the construction, including the absence of a fire safety NOC and an OC for the upper floors. The court noted that the illegal flats pose a risk to human life and violate both the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966.
While some residents filed intervention pleas opposing the petition, the High Court held that such occupation was a “brazen illegality”. “Accepting such submissions would render the entire statutory regime meaningless,” the court said, warning that it would amount to legalising lawlessness in urban construction.
The housing society had argued that it was taking steps to regularise not just the lower 16 floors — for which approvals are reportedly being pursued — but also the upper 18 floors. It urged the court to let the families continue staying on humanitarian grounds while applications for regularisation were processed.
However, the High Court dismissed this plea, observing that residential occupancy without a valid OC cannot be justified, regardless of the number of years the flats have been in use. The court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to initiate legal action if the residents failed to vacate within the stipulated time.
The Supreme Court has allowed the society to approach the High Court to seek more time for vacating the flats. The High Court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for August 6.