Crime Today News
A municipal official in Mumbai was transferred after members of the Jain community protested against the civic body bulldozing an allegedly illegal temple in Vile Parle, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.
The temple was demolished on April 16. The temple is managed by the Shree 1008 Digambar Jain Mandir Trust.
Assistant Commissioner Navnath Ghadge Patil, who was in charge of the K East ward in Mumbai, was transferred after tens of thousands protested against the municipal corporation’s action.
In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the protesters had demanded action against the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for carrying out the demolition, The Hindu reported.
The transfer of Patil was linked to the demolition drive carried out by the civic body, the newspaper quoted Vile Parle MLA Parag Alavani as saying.
Patil told the Hindustan Times that the Jain place of worship had been demolished in line with court directives, and that all legal procedures were followed.
The municipal corporation had initiated the demolition based on a notice issued under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act and the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, Bar and Bench reported.
On April 7, a civil court in Mumbai had dismissed an application filed by the trust seeking interim protection. However, it had extended a prior stay on the demolition by a week, which expired on April 15, Bar and Bench reported.
On April 15, while the civil court verbally rejected a plea to extend the stay further, the order was not available, Bar and Bench quoted the appellants as saying. Therefore, the trust approached the Bombay High Court the next day.
A High Court bench of Justice Gauri Godse on April 16 allowed the matter to be heard urgently, noting that municipal officials had arrived at the temple to demolish the structure.
During the hearing, the municipal corporation submitted that barring two walls, the temple structure had already been demolished. The bench ordered the municipal body to file a supporting affidavit and submit witness testimonies documenting the demolition.
The court directed the municipal corporation to ensure that no additional demolitions were carried out in the case till further orders. The court will hear the matter next on April 30.
Ashok Sarogi, the trust’s counsel, alleged that the civic body had demolished the temple even as an application for regularisation was pending, the Hindustan Times reported.
“There is adequate FSI [floor space index] available to allow regularisation of the structure, but without acknowledging the application for regularisation, the temple was demolished,” he was quoted as saying.
On Saturday, Opposition leader Aaditya Thackeray criticised the municipal corporation and Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha for the demolition.
“The BMC is now fully and directly controlled by the chief minister’s office and UD [urban development] minister’s office,” the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader said on social media.
“Who is the guardian minister protesting against?” Thackeray asked, alleging that Lodha was “doing the drama of a protest” instead of protecting the temple.
Thackeray added: “I hope everyone realises – the BJP belongs to nobody. It is the BJP government that is running the BMC through the CM’s office.”
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