Illegal construction: Sonu Sood’s appeal against BMC notice dismissed by HC

Sood’s lawyer Amogh Singh had sought a time of 10 weeks last October to comply with the directions of the notice.

Bollywood actor Sonu Sood’s appeal and interim application against BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) notice over alleged illegal construction carried out by the actor at his residence in Mumbai’s Juhu was dismissed by the Bombay high court on Thursday.

The BMC had alleged that the actor made structural changes to his six-storey residential building and converted it into a hotel without taking requisite permissions. (Aalok Soni/Hindustan Times File Photo)

Sood’s lawyer Amogh Singh had sought a time of 10 weeks last October to comply with the directions of the notice. He had also requested the court to direct the BMC against initiating any demolition.

The court instructed Singh to ask his client to approach the civic body regarding demolition action. Justice Prithviraj Chavan, while dismissing Sood’s appeal and application said, “Law helps only those who are diligent. The ball is now in the office of the BMC...you may approach them.”

“You are too late. You had ample opportunity,” Justice Chavan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. Sood approached the high court earlier this month challenging an order of a city court that had dismissed his suit against the BMC's notice.

The BMC had alleged that the actor made structural changes to his six-storey residential building and converted it into a hotel without taking requisite permissions. The civic body also filed a complaint against the actor at the Juhu police station in January. They sought an FIR against the actor for allegedly converting the residential building into a hotel without taking permission from the civic body. Police still have not registered an FIR against the actor.

The actor claims that he has not carried out any illegal or unauthorised construction in the building. BMC has denied Sood’s claims and on Wednesday called the actor a ‘habitual offender’.

“Sonu Sood is a habitual offender and wants to enjoy commercial proceeds of their unauthorised constructions and therefore has once again started reconstructing the demolished portion in order to make it operational as the hotel albeit illegally and without permission from the licensing department,” BMC said in its plea.