MUMBAI: Bombay high court on Friday dismissed a review plea and paved the way for the redevelopment of 141 acres of MHADA land in Goregaon West, called Motilal Nagar. MHADA recently appointed Adani Realty as the consultant and Development Agency (CDA) for the project.
It is touted as the city’s largest housing project.
Motilal Nagar Vikas Samiti, a residents’ group filed the review petition seeking recall and quashing of the HC ruling dated March 6, 2025, by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre. The residents sought, as interim relief, a stay on MHADA and the developer awarded the contract from going ahead.
By its March judgment, HC allowed MHADA’s 2021 application to ensure redevelopment gets done via private developers’ bids and disposed of PIL filed in 2013, seeking action against rampant illegal construction on the land.
The society’s three main contentions were that firstly, as a society, they can and ought to be allowed to self-develop the premises under the govt policy. Secondly, the society of residents can, under rule 33 (5) (2) of Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), appoint a developer of their choice. Thirdly, any development undertaken by such society, with MHADA NOC, by appointing a developer, requires 51% consent of the members.
The housing authority, through its senior counsel, said no new points were being raised and that HC, after considering all aspects, recognised MHADA’s rights under the law as the owner of the property to redevelop the premises through private developments by inviting bids. The counsel also contended that the society, in an affidavit, earlier said it wanted MHADA to do the development itself.
MHADA said it floated bids and appointed Adani Realty as the CDA. The review plea before the same division bench challenged the appointment of the developer. HC said a reasoned order will be made available later.
By Friday’s development in court, Motilal Nagar I, II, III redevelopment projects can proceed, said a MHADA lawyer. In 2018, MHADA said the estimated project cost was Rs 21,000 crore. The developer will bear all costs, including costs for transit and rehabilitation of eligible tenements, shops, slum dwellers, other amenities.
In 2013, Manjula Veeran and Tekchand Khanchandani filed two PILs in HC, seeking directions to MHADA and BMC to demolish “rampant unauthorised horizontal and vertical constructions” at Motilal Nagar I, II, and III, Goregaon West, MHADA Colony, Mumbai. The colony originally housed 400 tenants, mostly row houses.
