August 16, 2025: The Bombay High Court has sought a response from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to a plea filed by the 129-year-old Vikas Premises Co-operative Housing Society Limited in Fort, which houses the iconic Parsi restaurant Jimmy Boy. The society has requested a recall or modification of the court’s July 2 order that dismissed its challenge to the civic body’s demolition notice.
On July 2, a division bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor dismissed the society’s petition against BMC’s notices to vacate the building, declared “dilapidated and ruinous”. The court emphasised that “safety of human life and property takes precedence”, censured the petitioners for “suppressing crucial facts”, and imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh payable to the Cancer Ward of KEM Hospital. The structure, comprising ground plus four storeys and 37 commercial units, had already been vacated on 21 June following intervention by the Disaster Control Cell, which cited an “imminent risk of collapse”.
In its fresh interim application, the society argued that the building’s classification as C-1 (dangerous, to be vacated and demolished) was based only on a visual inspection. Structural consultants Mahimtura Consultants Pvt Ltd, who initially categorised the premises as C-1, subsequently revised their opinion after mandatory tests, reclassifying it as C-2A, meaning the structure was repairable.
The society further alleged that BMC acted on an “anonymous complaint” without a scientific report and breached its own guidelines by directing a late-night inspection and relying on a visual survey. It denied suppressing an earlier 2024 engineer’s opinion, stating it was disclosed at a general body meeting and placed on record.
Citing naval restrictions and the site’s heritage precinct status, the society maintained redevelopment was impractical. Instead, it proposed structural repairs, assuring the court it would not reoccupy the premises until the building was reinforced and secured.
Source: The Free Press Journal
