MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has placed a stay on a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme concerning over 3.5 acres of land claimed by Bombay University. This land was acquired for academic use by the Mumbai Collector between 1967 and 1974.
Despite the acquisition, the land was not registered under the university’s name, and third-party rights were established in favor of a developer due to outdated revenue records, as stated in a petition by Mumbai University (MU). The university pointed out that by 2024, the land had been designated as a slum because of encroachment, without any notice given to them.
On July 21, Justices GS Kulkarni and Arif Doctor expressed concern over a case where land meant for future university needs is now embroiled in redevelopment proceedings for slum dwellers. The university’s advocate, Yuvraj Narvankar, along with senior counsel representing SRA, the developer, and the slum society, presented their arguments. The judges remarked, “This land was not acquired for slum rehabilitation; rather, it should be protected from encroachers seeking benefits from slum housing schemes.” The slum society and builders contested this, claiming that not all land was intended for the purposes claimed.
The court emphasized the state’s important role in presenting all documents related to the land acquisition and raised questions about the validity of SRA’s approval for any slum initiatives on university land. The hearing has been adjourned to August 11, with requests for replies and rejoinders by that date.
The court stated, “Primarily, we believe that once land is acquired for public use to be vested in MU, the lack of timely action by the state government concerning the transfer or removal of encroachments does not justify using such land for encroachers or for a Slum Rehabilitation Scheme. This is the core issue here.”
