MUMBAI: In a security intervention, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mumbai visit, the Bombay High Court on Monday ordered an immediate halt to all construction activity at a high-rise building in Colaba located near the naval air station INS Shikra.
The court directed that not a single worker be deployed at the under-construction Jadhavji Mansion from midnight until further orders, noting that the Prime Minister is scheduled to land at the INS Shikra helipad on Tuesday morning.
A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay J Mantri passed the order while hearing a petition filed earlier this month by the local military authority through its Commanding Officer, alleging that the building stands barely 246 metres from the sensitive naval air station and VVIP heliport, well within the 500-metre restricted zone requiring mandatory clearance from defence authorities.
Representing the military authorities, advocate Mihir Rajshekhar Govilkar told the court that the structure poses a “direct threat to national security and VVIP heliport operations.”
“The building provides unrestricted line of sight. VIP movements are top priority. Other defence aircraft movements are also visible. It’s in plain sight,” he said.
The petition stated that the Planning Authority granted permissions without obtaining a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Indian Navy, which is required under Ministry of Defence (MoD) guidelines dated May 18, 2011.
Those guidelines mandate that any construction within 500 metres of a defence establishment must secure clearance from the Local Military Authority.
Although a 2015 clarification exempted projects sanctioned before May 18, 2011 from fresh NOCs, any post-2011 height increase requires defence clearance. The Navy has alleged that multiple amendments after 2011 unlawfully increased the height and number of floors without obtaining such NOC.
According to defence authorities, the building has now reached ground-plus-23 floors, creating a direct line of sight into operational and heliport areas. The petition states that despite repeated written objections, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) failed to act.
In July 2025, the BMC Deputy Chief Engineer reportedly responded that prior permissions had been obtained and that the guidelines did not apply. However, defence authorities issued a comprehensive letter to the BMC and on January 5 sought immediate stoppage of work.
The court observed that security of the Prime Minister and other VVIPs cannot be compromised. “You can’t sacrifice the Prime Minister’s security just because you want to make money,” the bench told the BMC, adding that the civic body cannot “walk away” from its responsibility if national security is involved.
The judges said they would direct the District Collector to measure the exact distance between the structure and the helipad. The matter has been posted for further hearing on February 18.