HC allows 80-year-old to stay in dilapidated building temporarily ‘at his own risk’

Court noted the BMC’s submission that the building was in a highly dilapidated condition. However, considering the petitioner’s age, the court said he should be given time to make arrangements to shift to an alternate premises

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted temporary relief to an 80-year-old resident of a dilapidated building in Bandra West, directing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to restore water and electricity supply to his flat after he agreed to continue living there “at his own risk” until the next hearing.

iiMumbai, India - May 14, 2026: A view of the Rup Niwas Society at Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

A vacation bench of justices Advait Sethna and Sandesh Patil noted the BMC’s submission that the building was in a highly dilapidated condition. However, considering the petitioner’s age and safety, the court said he should be given time to make arrangements to shift to an alternate premises.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the petitioner, Ghansham Singh Narang, informed the court that the BMC had already disconnected water and electricity supply to the Anand Rup Cooperative Housing Society in Bandra West, after classifying it as a high-risk (C-1) structure.

Calling himself a “super senior citizen aged over 80 years”, Narang sought time to vacate the building, saying he was facing imminent eviction, demolition and other coercive action.

Narang also informed the court that he is challenging the report of the BMC’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which declared the building unsafe. He claimed the report was “legally unsustainable” and suffered from “several infirmities”.

In response, the BMC told the court that several residents of the building had already vacated it due to its condition.

However, the court noted the petitioner’s age and that he has resided in the building since 1975. “The only consideration that weighs with this court at this stage is purely humanitarian,” it said.

The bench clarified that it is not expressing any opinion on the merits of the dispute, but said the senior citizen “should not be displaced suddenly, as it would cause great inconvenience to him”.

Posting the matter for further consideration on May 25, the court directed the BMC to restore water and electricity supply in Singh’s flat and permitted him to reside in the building till then “purely as a temporary measure”.

After Narang confirmed that he was willing to stay in the premises at his own risk until the next hearing, the court clarified that the BMC would not be held responsible in any manner.