December 6, 2025: The Bombay High Court has sharply criticised the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) for suspending work on Annexure-II in a Kandivali slum redevelopment project following letters from a local MLA. Hearing a petition filed by the New Shree Krishna SRA Co-operative Housing Society, representing 285 residents at CTS No. 846 in Laljipada, Kandivali West, the court called the authority’s conduct a “complete abdication of statutory duties” and warned that such interference “must never be repeated.”
The society argued that although the scheme received approval in February 2023 and survey activities had commenced, SRA officials abruptly stopped preparing Annexure-II — the document determining eligibility of slum dwellers — after objections were raised by a rival group. The halt reportedly came after the MLA wrote to the SRA CEO and the Mumbai police commissioner in August 2024, opposing the chosen developer and asking police not to protect survey teams. In an affidavit, the deputy collector confirmed that the process was halted because of the MLA’s communication.
Terming the affidavit “nothing short of opening a can of worms,” the division bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Aarti Sathe expressed alarm that statutory officers had allowed political pressure to stall the project for more than a year. The judges underscored that redevelopment schemes must proceed strictly under the Slum Act, its Rules, and the Development Control Regulations, and cannot be derailed by rival factions or political intervention.
The court also issued a firm caution to SRA officials, saying this “must be the last case” where external influence dictates statutory decision-making. It added that disputes among residents must be addressed before competent authorities, not through elected representatives. Highlighting recurring issues of obstruction and violence during surveys, the bench observed that those seeking free rehabilitation cannot simultaneously create disruptions and suggested that habitual trouble-makers could be excluded from eligibility.
Allowing the petition, the court directed the SRA to finalise Annexure-II within two months and to prevent further delays. It also clarified that issues concerning an intervenor developer for the adjoining CTS No. 834 (part) were not being decided, while permitting plot-wise survey work to continue with adequate police protection.
Source: Hindustan Times
