Sonu Sood withdraws plea in SC against ‘illegal construction’ ruling

Allowing the request, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde observed that no coercive action be taken against Sood till his application is decided by the municipal authorities.

Actor Sonu Sood on Friday withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea challenging the Bombay High Court order dismissing his case on alleged illegal construction at his residential building in Mumbai’s Juhu area, stating that he will seek a decision on his application for regularisation of the premises from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Allowing the request, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde observed that no coercive action be taken against Sood till his application is decided by the municipal authorities.

The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, lauded Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi for giving the “correct” advice to his client. “That is good advice Mr Rohatgi. This is absolutely correct advice which does not happen very often. The Authorities can decide the application according to law,” the CJI observed.

The Bombay High Court had on January 21 dismissed Sood’s plea challenging a city civil court order rejecting his petition against a notice issued to him by the BMC for allegedly carrying out structural changes to a residential building he owns in Juhu without permission.

The court also refused the actor’s plea seeking to restrain the BMC from taking any action based on its notice and seeking further stay on the operation of the city civil court order. “The ball is now in the office of BMC, you (Sood) may approach them (civic body),” it said.

Sood and his wife, in their HC petition, had claimed that they did not carry out any “illegal or unauthorised” construction in the six-storey Shakti Sagar building.

But describing them as “habitual offenders”, the BMC in an affidavit told HC that they want to “enjoy the commercial proceeds of their unauthorised work” and therefore, has started reconstructing the demolished part of the building to run it like a hotel.

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