State to challenge HC ruling on 255-acre Mira-Bhayandar land in SC

In a statement, Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the state revenue department would file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the April 30 high court ruling in favour of Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will move the Supreme Court against a Bombay High Court order that cleared the way for the transfer of nearly 254.88 acres of prime land in Mira-Bhayandar to two private developers, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Friday.

In a statement, Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the state revenue department would file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the April 30 high court ruling in favour of Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers. (PTI)

In a statement, Bawankule said the state revenue department would file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the April 30 high court ruling in favour of Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers.

The land parcel in Mouje Bhayandar is estimated to be worth hundreds of crores and, according to the state government, belongs to the Maharashtra government.

Since the verdict was unexpected, directions have been issued to file a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court to strongly defend the Maharashtra government’s position, Bawankule said in the release.

According to the revenue department, unauthorised changes were allegedly made to the land records from 1948 onwards without prior government approval. The release claimed that the names of Estate Investment Company and later Mira Salt Works were inserted into the revenue records illegally.

The government said that in 1958, the name of the Union government’s Salt Department was added because the land was being used as salt pans.

The ownership dispute later reached the Supreme Court, which directed the parties to approach the Thane district collector. In 2002, the collector rejected the claim of Mira Salt Works and ordered that the entire land vest with the state government.

However, in 2019, the companies along with the Salt Commissioner filed a first appeal in the Bombay High Court. On April 30, the high court dismissed the Salt Commissioner’s appeal and ruled that the land belonged to Mira Salt Works, the release said.

The state government has contended that the appeal before the high court was limited to the issue of maintainability, but the court decided the matter on merits. The government also claimed that the ruling could result in the name of private developer Mira Real Estate Developers remaining on government land records.

“We will firmly crush all attempts to grab government land by tampering with revenue records,” the revenue minister said. “The Bombay High Court order effectively allows transfer of government land to private owners. The government of Maharashtra will challenge this order in the Supreme Court to protect public property. We will strongly defend the state’s ownership rights over this valuable land.”