Synopsis: The BMC, responding to the plea of Kangana Ranaut, said that the Rs 2 crore appeal was an abuse of the law process.
The BMC has said that her petition is an ‘abuse of law’ and that the High Court should dismiss it in reply to actress Kangana Ranaut ‘s plea before the Bombay High Court where she had claimed Rs 2 crores as damages. BMC has also demanded, in an affidavit, that Kangana Ranaut be charged costs for rendering this plea before the High Court.
The BMC alleged in its reply, through advocate Joel Carlos, that Ranaut falsely stated that the alterations were previously approved by it through permission.
It was on 9 September that a portion of Kangana Ranaut’s Pali Hill bungalow was demolished by the BMC, alleging that she had made several structural changes to the house without taking due consideration. The move was widely perceived as a political vendetta against Kangana Ranaut after she spoke against Bollywood and particularly against the Shiv Sena and the Mumbai Police for their shoddy handling of the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
It is therefore an ironic twist of events that BMC now argues that Kangana Ranaut ‘s petition is an “abuse of law” despite taking actions which were in breach of the High Court order.
Kangana Ranaut had approached the Bombay High Court asking for a demolition stay and the Court had granted the same. Ranaut amended her plea on September 15, demanding a compensation from the BMC for Rs 2 Crore.
In her amended appeal, Ranaut argued that her remarks against the Maharashtra government were a direct consequence of the BMC’s decision to demolish her house.
The actor had moved the court after BMC demolished her property in Bandra worth crores on September 9, within just 24 hours of a ‘stop work’ notice and at a time when such demolition operations were barred by a High Court order.
A division bench headed by Justice S J Kathawalla had stayed on the demolition, saying the actions of the civic body appeared “malafide”.
Before then, however, the BMC had already demolished at least 40 per cent of the property on the basis that there had been some unlawful alterations at the property without authorization.
The BMC’s demolition drive was in breach of the Bombay High Court’s order, which ordered the administration, municipal corporations, and other authorities against any demolition, eviction, and holding of attached property auctions in Maharashtra State until September 30.
As required by the March 19 order, the BMC did not request prior approval from the court. It therefore, remains to be seen if the BMC will be punished with contempt for failure to comply with the order of the High Court.
The matter is listed for next hearing on September 22.