Supreme Court rejects Hiranandani’s petition regarding Powai project

The apex court upholds the Bombay High Court’s decision to stop sale of plots for mass housing project that were merged and sold for Rs7 crore each instead. The Supreme Court no Friday rejected the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Mumbai-based builder Niranjan Hiranandani against the Bombay High Court order that restricted the developer from further construction and sale of flats under the Hiranandani Gardens project at Powai.

Commenting that it is not viable to interfere with the Bombay High Court’s order at this juncture, the apex court asked the developer to withdraw the petition. The next date of hearing in the Bombay High Court is on 12th April.

Mr Hiranandani had signed a tripartite agreement with the Maharashtra government and MMRDA (Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority) along with the original landowners; by which 240 acres of land in Powai under ‘Pawai (Powai) Area Development Scheme’ was supposed to be used for a mass housing project. These flats were to be of 400 sq ft-800 sq ft in area.

However, Mr Hiranandani built some 70 towers, which house around 4,000 families. The plots were merged to form 4,000 sq ft to 5,000 sq ft units, which were sold at a price as high as Rs7 crore. Around 15%-20% of the land is yet to be developed.

While hearing a PIL filed by Medha Patkar on behalf of Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), the Bombay High Court had ruled on 22nd February that all construction on site be stopped and no flats to be sold before allotting homes to weaker sections. The court also ordered the developer to build 3,100 affordable homes of the size mentioned in the tripartite agreement and to offer these flats to lower income customers at Rs135 per sq ft.

Mr Hiranandani filed an SLP in the Supreme Court against the decision of the Bombay High Court. However, the apex court upheld the Bombay High Court order and refused to interfere.

Advocate-activist YP Singh, who had earlier argued the case for NAPM in the Bombay High Court, said that the activist organisation will soon be filing a criminal complaint against the accused persons under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and Indian Penal Code, 1860. In the PIL, the state government and the MMRDA are also named as respondents.