MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government intends to challenge the Bombay High Court’s directive to transfer approximately 254.88 acres of land in Mira-Bhayander, Thane district, to two developers, as stated by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday.
The High Court ruled in favor of The Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers regarding land valued at crores of rupees, according to an official statement.
Bawankule affirmed, “The land is owned by the state. We will robustly present our case in the Supreme Court to ensure it remains in government hands,” announcing plans to file a Special Leave Petition against the April 30 ruling.
The minister expressed surprise at the decision, emphasizing that the land is indeed state property and that instructions to appeal to the Supreme Court have been issued.
Providing context, the statement indicated that unauthorized alterations were allegedly made to the land’s revenue records starting in 1948. Initially, the name of the Estate Investment Company, followed by Mira Salt Works, was illegally recorded.
“In 1958, the Centre’s Salt Department was named due to salt production activities on the land. A subsequent ownership dispute reached the Supreme Court, which mandated an appeal be filed with the Thane district collector. In 2002, the collector rejected Mira Salt Company’s claim and ordered the land to be entrusted to the government,” the statement elaborated.
However, in 2019, the companies and the Centre’s Salt Commissioner filed an appeal against the collector’s decision at the Bombay High Court. On April 30, the High Court dismissed the Salt Commissioner’s appeal and affirmed that the land belongs to Mira Salt Works, as per the statement.
The government argues that the High Court decision addressed the maintainability of the initial appeal, but was resolved on substantive grounds, potentially allowing private entity Mira Real Estate Developers to maintain claims over government land.
Referencing Section 29(3)(c) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, Bawankule reiterated that the land is state property.
