Bombay HC gives interim protection to Sonu Sood till Wednesday

Bombay high court on Monday restrained the civic body from taking any action against Bollywood actor Sonu Sood till January 13 when it will hear at length his plea against an order of demolition of his alleged unauthorised construction in his

Juhu

house.

The actor had filed an against a city civil court order of last December which dismissed his challenge over a notice issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC had last October issued the actor a notice for demolition of his allegedly illegal structural changes to a residential building.in Juhu.

His appeal says the city civil Judge ought to have considered that the BMC had “issued the notice with malafide intention” and thus is a “nullity and malafide”.

Sood, in his appeal said he has not carried out any "illegal or unauthorised" construction in the six-storey Shakti Sagar building.

On Monday his counsel Amogh Singh with advocate D P making submissions before Justice Prithviraj Chavan for interim relief says he has not made any changes in the building that warrant permission from the BMC. He took the bench through the lower court order to argue that principles of natural justice were flouted by the BMC.

Special Civic counsel

Anil Sakhare

submitted that the appeal papers were just served and requested time but also said that the BMC had already demolished the structure twice and has filed a case under MRTP with the police against Sood. The court asked Singh to inform about the case and will hear both sides on Wednesday.

His appeal also said that only those changes that are allowed under the Maharashtra Regional and

Town Planning

(MRTP) Act have been done. The appeal sought orders to set aside both, the lower court order of dismissal of his plea for interim relief and also the notice issued by the BMC.

The actor is also from the HC seeking interim relief of no coercive action to be initiated against him by the civic body.

Last year, after receiving the notice from the BMC, he had first filed a civil suit against it in the city civil court, but with no relief he approached the HC.

The BMC last Monday also filed a complaint at the Juhu police station, seeking an FIR to be registered against the actor. His appeal has alleged and questioned the “lack of transparency” by the civic administration in issuing the notice to him and said the “documents and correspondence” display “inconsistencies”.

Sood, during the pandemic has been instrumental in organising trains and other modes of mass transport for migrants heading home from Mumbai.