The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to demolish the “illegal” 31-storey Adarsh building at Colaba in south Mumbai and directed the Centre and
the State Government to initiate civil and criminal proceedings against bureaucrats, Ministers and politicians for various offences, including “misuse and abuse of powers” by them.
However, while accepting a plea by Adarsh co-operative housing society, a Bench of Justices RV More and RG Ketkar kept on hold its order for 12 weeks to enable the society to file an appeal in the Supreme Court. On its part, the Maharashtra Government opposed the Adarsh society’s plea seeking time to move the apex court.
The High Court Bench ruled that the Adarsh society, the petitioners in the case, would bear the expenses arising out of the impending demolition.
The High Court order came as a vindication of the stand taken in January 2011 by the MoEF which had ordered the demolition of the Adarsh building on the ground that it was unauthorised” and that the society had not obtained the requisite clearance under the under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 1991.