Sonu Sood moves SC against HC order on illegal construction notice

PTI, Jan 31, 2021, 2:42 PM IST

New Delhi: Actor Sonu Sood has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order which dismissed his appeal against a BMC notice over alleged illegal construction at his residential building in Mumbai’s Juhu area.

Sood’s petition stated that his application for conversion has been approved by the Municipal Commissioner subject to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) permission.

It said the high court order dated January 13, 2021 has been passed without considering the provisions of Section 43 (1) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 and his application for conversion of residential premises into a residential hotel was submitted in 2018 before the department concerned.

The plea contended that their application for conversion, which has been approved by the Municipal Commissioner subject to MCZMA, be directed to be decided by authorities concerned.

“The petitioners have already stopped the work of internal renovation which require no permission as per the provisions of Section 43 of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966, therefore, the respondents may kindly be restrained from demolition of the renovation work already done in the building,” the plea filed by Sood and his wife said.

Sood further stated that if the application of the petitioners for conversion is approved, the financial loss due to demolition will not be recovered in any manner and would cause miscarriage of justice to the petitioners.

The HC, while dismissing the actor’s appeal and application, said, “Law helps only those who are diligent.”

Sood’s lawyer had sought a time of 10 weeks to comply with the notice issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in October last year, and requested the HC to direct the civic body to not initiate demolition action.

The high court, however, refused and said the actor had ample opportunity in the past and if required, he could approach the civic body.

Sood had approached the high court earlier this month challenging an order of a city civil court at Dindoshi that had dismissed his suit against the BMC’s notice issued over the alleged illegal construction carried out by him.

The actor, in the interim application in HC, had sought an order from the high court restraining the BMC from taking any coercive action against his residential property in Juhu area.

“The petitioner (Sood) has not made any changes in the building that warrants permission from the BMC. Only those changes that are allowed under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act have been done,” Sood’s advocate had argued in HC.

As per the BMC, the Bollywood actor had carried out structural changes in the six-storey residential building ‘Shakti Sagar’, and allegedly converted it into a hotel without taking requisite permissions.

The BMC earlier this month also filed a complaint at the Juhu police station, seeking an FIR to be lodged against Sood for allegedly converting the residential building into a hotel without permission.

The complaint letter was sent to the police after the BMC inspected the building and found that Sood had allegedly not complied with the requisitions and was continuing unauthorised construction even after the notice was served to him in October last year. The police is yet to register FIR in the case.