BMC acted with malice in demolishing part of the bungalow': Bombay HC grants Kangana relief from BMC

The demolition of a part of actor Kangana Rananut's office at her bungalow in Mumbai by the city's civic body "is nothing but malice in law", the Bombay High Court said today, cancelling the notice as it heard the actor's petition against the demolition in September. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC had demolished a part of Ms Ranaut's bungalow at Mumbai's Pali Hill on September 9. The actor alleged that the civic body's action against her was a result of her comments against the Maharashtra government and the ruling Shiv Sena.

The "same party" is also the ruling party in the BMC, the "Queen" actor said in her petition, without naming Shiv Sena, which runs the Mumbai civic body - India's richest municipal corporation. "MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) has proceeded on wrongful grounds, against the rights of the citizens. It is nothing but malice in law," a division bench of Justices SJ Kathawalla and RI Chagla said.The civic body claims Ms Ranaut's office contains illegal constructions. The BMC listed 14 "violations" at her office, which included a toilet apparently built in space marked for a kitchen and an office set up in an area meant for a toilet.

On Ranaut seeking a compensation of ₹ 2 crore from the municipal agency for what she called an "illegal" demolition, the court said it was appointing a valuer who would hear the petition and the civic body on monetary damages caused to her due to the demolition. "The valuer shall by March 2021 pass appropriate orders on compensation," the court said. Kangana Ranaut has been in the headlines this year because of an ugly face-off with Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra government over her criticism of the Sushant Singh Rajput investigation. The issue turned worse, after she made remarks bout feeling unsafe in Mumbai and comparing the city to PoK.