A Quick Summary: Six people living in Rakhmabai Mhatre Chawl in Mulund, Mumbai, successfully stopped the city's government, the BMC, from tearing down their homes. The court sided with the residents, pointing out mistakes made by the BMC.
On March 15, 2025, the BMC sent out warnings saying the homes in Rakhmabai Mhatre Chawl were built without permission. The residents, including Amol Pandharinath Vedak, replied on March 27, 2025, saying their homes had been there since before 1962, and they had plenty of documents to prove it.
The residents, helped by their lawyer Mr. Amit Ashok Gharte, took the BMC to court. They said the warnings were pushed by a builder who wanted to redevelop the area. The residents showed old documents like ration cards, tax bills, and electricity bills from the 1980s to prove their homes were legal.
Judge Milind N. Jadhav, who was in charge of the case, found several problems with what the BMC did:
The court remembered that similar attempts were made in 2016 but failed. It seemed the current warnings were influenced by the new landowner, M/s. Indu Enterprise, who bought the land in 2013.
On January 5, 2026, the court canceled the BMC's warnings, saying the residents' homes were safe until the final decision of the legal case. Judge Jadhav stressed the importance of following the right procedures and noted the strong evidence supporting the residents.
The court's ruling not only saved the residents' homes but also demanded a fair and clear process by the BMC. This case shows the ongoing battles between people living in cities and developers in fast-growing cities like Mumbai.
The court's decision is a big victory for the residents of Rakhmabai Mhatre Chawl, making sure their homes are safe despite the pressures from redevelopment.
