Amitabh Bachchan has been asked by the Bombay High Court to contact the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation

On Wednesday, the Bombay high court ordered Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan to file a complaint with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over a notice given to them for the purchase of a portion of their home mansion 'Pratiksha' in suburban Juhu. Justices R D Dhanuka and S M Modak of the division bench ordered them to file a representation with the BMC within two weeks.

 

"Within six weeks after receiving the representation, the BMC will hear it and make a decision." "No coercive action shall be taken against the petitioners for three weeks after a judgement is made (in case of an unfavourable decision)," the court stated. The court also stated that, if necessary, the Bachchan’s' lawyers might be given a personal hearing.

 

The HC was considering a plea brought by the Bachchan’s, who were contesting the corporation's notices. Their petition asked the court to overturn the BMC's notice and prevent it from proceeding with the land acquisition. The BMC sent a notice to the  Bachchan’s on April 20, 2017, indicating that certain plots adjoining their residential property were within the regular line of the street and that the BMC wanted to take control of such land, as well as the wall and structures thereon.

 

The Bachchan’s then sent representatives to the BMC headquarters to enquire about the notices and discuss the situation with officials. They pointed out to BMC officials that widening the street on the opposite side of the plots would be more convenient for the corporation.

 

According to the complaint, the BMC did nothing to implement the notices for four years and nine months, until January 28, 2022. As a result, the Bachchan’s concluded that the notices had been discarded, and no official objection was lodged. On January 28, this year, several BMC personnel verbally informed the Bachchan’s that they planned to implement the contested notices and would be taking control of a section of the plots as outlined in the notices. The notices, they claim, do not take into account the existing structures on the plots, which are not allowed to be demolished under the MMC Act.