Maharashtra
Bombay HC Clears Redevelopment Of Lincoln House, Dismisses PIL Citing Lack Of Bona Fides
Mumbai: Clearing the way for redevelopment of the iconic Lincoln House on Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy, in south Mumbai, the Bombay High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging approvals granted for the project, holding that the plea lacked bona fides and was driven by private motives.
The petition was filed by the Altamount Road Area Citizens Committee, which alleged that permissions, concessions, and sanctions granted by the BMC to developer M/s Krishna and Company were “arbitrary, illegal and in contravention” of applicable rules. The plea sought cancellation of sanctioned plans and other approvals for the redevelopment.
The petitioners claimed that the authorities had set a “wrong and dangerous precedent” by granting illegal concessions and raised concerns about fire safety, open spaces, and infrastructure stress in the area.
Senior counsel Darius Shroff argued that relaxations granted under Development Control Regulations compromised safety and violated residents’ right to life under Article 21.
However, the State and the developer opposed the plea, contending that all approvals were granted in accordance with applicable Development Control Regulations and subsequent Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR 2034).
Senior counsel Milind Sathe, appearing for the State, submitted that the building plans were sanctioned as per prevailing norms and that the project, being a redevelopment of a cessed structure, was entitled to certain concessions.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam accepted the respondents’ submissions, noting that the original approvals dated back to 2002 and had been amended from time to time in compliance with regulations. It held that there was “no illegality” in the sanctions granted and that minor discrepancies, if any, could not justify judicial interference.
The petitioner had argued that there was not enough space on all four sides of the building for the passage of the fire tender and it would pose a high risk of loss of life and property if a fire breaks out in the building.
Rejecting concerns over safety, the court observed: “we do not find any basis for such apprehensions. The subject building has inbuilt in-house fire fighting systems which are catered with dual power supply and dedicated water-tank for fire extinguishing purposes.”
Importantly, the bench came down heavily on the maintainability of the PIL. It said, “A petition filed in the garb of public interest litigation cannot be entertained where no material facts constituting a cause in the larger public interest has been disclosed.”
The court further remarked, “The public interest litigation jurisdiction cannot be invoked by a person to further his personal cause or satisfy his personal grudge and enmity.”
Noting delays and lack of prosecution in interim applications, the court held that the process had been “abused”. It also observed that such petitions “obstruct functioning of the government machinery and result in wastage of Court’s invaluable time”.
Dismissing the PIL, the HC vacated the interim order granted in 2018.
Lincoln House in Breach Candy, south Mumbai, is a renowned Grade III heritage sea-facing bungalow purchased by billionaire Cyrus Poonawalla for Rs 750 crore in 2015. Originally known as Wankaner House, it was built in 1933 and formerly served as the U.S. Consulate for nearly six decades.
Maharashtra
Clash at Bhiwandi Dindigad Hill Leaves Six Injured; Tension Reportedly Erupts Again at Hospital

Bhiwandi, Maharashtra: A dispute between two groups of youths at Dindigad Hill near Bhiwandi escalated into a physical confrontation on Sunday afternoon, leaving six people injured, according to preliminary information.
The incident reportedly began after a disagreement at the hill area. The dispute is understood to have been linked to objections over non-vegetarian food being brought to the location. What started as a verbal argument soon turned violent, with members of the two groups allegedly assaulting each other.
The injured were taken to Bhiwandi Sub-District Hospital for medical treatment. However, tension reportedly flared again when members of the two groups came face-to-face at the hospital. Police personnel were deployed at the hospital to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and are examining the claims made by those involved. Further legal action is expected after statements are recorded and the facts of the incident are established.
The incident has raised concerns over the need for restraint and peaceful resolution of disputes, particularly in public places where clashes can quickly create tension in the surrounding area.
Maharashtra
MIDC Police Station operation: Heroin worth Rs 35 million seized, suspect arrested

MIDC Police Station Anti-Narcotics Squad PI Kholam and his team were patrolling the night of August 22 to take action against people using, buying and selling drugs within their limits.
On the 23rd, at around 12:10 am, the police saw a person moving around suspiciously in front of the gate of Hemant Karkare Garden, near Sahakari Bhandar, Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai. PI Kholam found the person’s movements suspicious and the police team tried to stop him. On seeing the police, the said person tried to run away from there, however, with the help of the police team, he was arrested on the spot. During interrogation, the person initially gave evasive answers. Later, after taking him into confidence and conducting further detailed interrogation, a dark colored powder, which was said to be Heroin, was recovered from his possession.
The police searched the said person in compliance with all the legal requirements of the NDPS Act, 1985. Heroin weighing 302 grams, worth approximately ₹3,50,00,000 (Rupees 3 crore 50 lakhs), was recovered from his possession.
In this case, a case has been registered under Section 8(c) read with Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act under Case No. 943/2026 on the basis of a complaint received at MIDC Police Station, Mumbai. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the said drugs were being supplied in the area of MIDC Police Station. Further investigation of the case is underway.
Thus, PI Kholam, Officer of the Anti-Narcotics Team of MIDC Police Station and his team carried out a remarkable operation of timely arresting the accused drug dealer Tauseef Liaquat Qazi (29) and seizing 302 grams of heroin, worth ₹3.50 crores, from his possession. The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of senior police officers, including Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Dr. Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Police Commissioner Datta Nalawade and Assistant Police Commissioner Yogesh Shinde. The operation was directly supervised by Senior Police Inspector Ghanshyam Nair and Police Inspector (Crime) Sunil Karande.
Maharashtra
FIR registered in Ganpati idol desecration case, situation under control in Mazgaon; DCP Jayant Meena targeted by Hindu organizations

Tension prevailed in the Mazgaon area of Mumbai when an incident of eggs being thrown at the Ganpati procession from a high-rise tower took place, after which the situation became tense and the police brought the situation under control and restarted the Ganpati procession. According to the details, the Ganpati procession was passing through the Mazgaon area when some unknown mischievous anti-social elements tried to desecrate the Ganpati idol by throwing eggs, after which Hindu organizations blocked the road and started a full-scale protest. DCP Jayant Meena reached the spot and tried to control the situation, but at the same time he was also surrounded by the crowd, but despite this, the DCP acted courageously and controlled the situation and established peace. But now the same DCP Jayant Meena has come on the hit list of Hindu organizations. He is being targeted on the social media accounts of Hindu organizations. This makes it clear that this raises the question that Hindu organizations do not have faith in the administration and the police. In the case of desecration of the idol of Ganpati, the police have registered a case under sections 299, 196 of the Bharatiya Naya Sanhita BNS. The accused has been identified. The police have identified him from the CCTV footage. At present, tension persists but peace is prevailing. The police have made strict security arrangements at the places. After this incident, a conspiracy to incite communal violence has also started in Mumbai city by the sectarians and after throwing eggs at the procession, Hindu extremist organizations are also criticizing the role of the DCP. DCP Jayant Meena has come under the target of Hindu extremist organizations, right wing. At present, the DCP said that the situation is peaceful and the police is taking necessary action in this matter. The police are also investigating whether more people are involved in this matter and what is the conspiracy behind it. This is the second incident of throwing eggs at Ganpati. Earlier, an egg was thrown at the idol of Ganpati in Kamatipura. Such an incident The police are also investigating why this is happening, but after this incident, it has become clear once again that Hindu extremist organizations do not trust the police action, which is why they are confronting the DCP. The police have not made any arrests in this matter so far, while the search for the accused is ongoing.
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