Kirit Somaiya submits a petition to stop Pratap Sarnaik's project from receiving a fine waiver

On Friday, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging a state cabinet resolution from January this year that waived a charge of Rs 3.33 crore and interest on a penalty assessed on illegal floors of the Chhabhaiya Vihang Garden housing project.

 

The Vihang group of Shiv Sena Thane MLA Pratap Sarnaik created the residential complex. Sarnaik is now being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering. Somaiya claims that the cabinet approved the motion to waive the Rs 18 crore penalty. He further claimed that the state's and Thane Municipal Corporation's decision to shield Sarnaik from criminal prosecution for the building's construction under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act was illegal.

 

Sarnaik was fined by the Thane Municipal Corporation. The developer allegedly built 2,089 square metres of the 2,707 square metre structure without permission and built 13 stories, according to the plea. In 2013 and 2014, it was then requested to be regularised. Thane Municipal Corporation penalised him Rs 3.33 crore and warned him that if he did not pay within six months, he would face an extra penalty of 18%. The State Government, on the other hand, opted to waive the fine at a later date.

 

 

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