On September 9, the BMC demolished a portion of Kangana Ranaut’s Pali Hill bungalow.
Mumbai:
In response to actress Kangana Ranaut’s petition to the Bombay High Court seeking Rs 2 million in damages for the demolition of her bungalow, the Mumbai civic body said on Friday that it was an abuse of legal process. .
In an affidavit, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) urged the court to dismiss Ms. Ranaut’s petition and impose a fee for filing such a statement.
“The writ petition and the repairs requested in it constitute an abuse of process. The petition should not be considered and should be dismissed with the costs,” he said.
On September 9, BMC demolished a portion of Ms. Ranaut’s Pali Hill bungalow, alleging that she had made substantial structural modifications without permission.
After she moved the Superior Court the same day, a bench run by Judge SJ Kathawalla suspended the demolition.
On September 15, Ms Ranaut amended her plea, seeking compensation of Rs 2 crore from the BMC.
In its reply, submitted through attorney Joel Carlos, the BMC alleged that Ms. Ranaut falsely stated that the alterations were due to a permit previously granted by her.
On September 5, during a routine inspection, its officials noticed that illegal repairs and alterations were being made to the bungalow, so a demolition notice was issued and the demolition subsequently took place, it said.
Ms. Ranaut used the property as office space and had made substantial modifications and additions in violation of the sanctioned construction plan, the BMC alleged.
Restrooms were built in parking areas and the existing restroom space was converted into cabins and a pantry, he said.
Ms Ranaut could not argue that the demolition should not have taken place during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, as if she was carrying out alterations during this period, she could face action, the civic body said.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 22.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated channel.)
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