Quick Summary: On November 26, 2025, the Bombay High Court, led by Judge Milind N. Jadhav, rejected appeals from eight people, including Shabbiruddin Badruddin Ansari, against the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. This decision ends a long legal fight over illegal buildings near Kandivali Railway Station.
The case involves a long-standing argument over illegal buildings constructed on land owned by the Nemi Krishna Cooperative Housing Society near Kandivali Railway Station in Mumbai. The people involved, including Ansari, claimed ownership and tried to stop the Municipal Corporation from tearing down their buildings.
This legal story began in 1999 when the Saibaba Mitra Mandal, representing 27 illegal buildings, filed several lawsuits to stop demolition notices from the Municipal Corporation. Even after losing in both the High Court and the Supreme Court, new people came forward, claiming their buildings were different.
"The buildings are nothing but illegal street vendors and people taking land without permission," the court noted.
Judge Jadhav pointed out that the people involved had hidden important details about previous legal cases, which were important to the current case. The court stressed that the people involved had no legal right to the land or buildings, which were considered illegal.
On November 26, 2025, the court rejected all appeals and ordered the people involved to pay significant costs for their actions. The court instructed them to pay these costs to the Kirtikar Law Library, High Court, Mumbai.
"It's time to send a strong message to such illegal street vendors and land grabbers that the law is respected in this country."
The court's decision makes it clear that following the law and respecting property rights is important. It warns against illegally taking land and misusing the court system. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai can now go ahead with removing these illegal buildings, bringing back order to the area.
