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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

HC: Builders want to ‘bite the cherry’; fined Rs. 1 lakh

Mumbai: In a stinging observation, the Bombay High Court said that some builders wanted to “bite at the cherry” when they failed in one of a bunch of petitions filed by cooperative housing societies (CHSs) in Bhayander (Thane) seeking ‘unilateral deemed conveyance certificate’.


Coming down heavily on the two concerned builders – Janata Housing Pvt. Ltd. (JHPL) and its sister-concern Sheth Land Development Corporation (SLDC) – Justice Sandeep V. Marne sharply noted that the latter was seeking “another bite at the cherry” in the Divine Blessings CHS case, in the Jesal Park residential layout.


The judge said that both JHPL and SLDC appear to be ‘promoters’ in the project and so, cannot ‘split’ themselves by filing multiple petitions challenging the earlier orders of the Thane Cooperatives Department District Deputy Registrar & Competent Authority (DDR&CA) on the societies’ demand for unilateral Deemed Conveyance.


Later, the Divine Blessings CHS was granted the unilateral Deemed Conveyance, but the builders challenged it, leading to the current order.

Incidentally, official sources reveal that the JHPL-SLDC have reportedly challenged the critical document granted by  DDDR-CA to around a dozen local societies.


“The court does not appreciate the conduct (of the builder) in keeping the Respondent-Society in the continuous course of litigation by filing multiple proceedings raising the same issues…. The petition is gross abuse of process of law,” ruled Justice Marne, slapping a fine of Rs. One-Lakh on the builder as costs to the Society payable within a month.


In a similar vein, Justice Marne reversed a contentious order of the Thane DDR&CA Kishore N. Mande (on March 28, 2024), rejecting several applications by a bunch of CHSs seeking ‘unilateral Deemed Conveyance certificate’.


The landmark verdicts in these separate but related matters, could benefit nearly a 100 such Societies in Bhayandar and many hundreds more in Maharashtra, said experts.


Coming to the aid of the beleaguered Society members awaiting redevelopment, on March 20, 2025, Justice Marne provided relief to “Vandana”, “Prarthana”, “Prerana” and “Upasana”, all CHSs, located in the 40-year-old Jesal Park layout, adjacent to Thane Creek.


Council for Protection of Rights (CPR) President and Barrister Vinod Tiwari lauded Justice Sandeep Marne' “courageous verdict which is a severe warning” to all crooked builders and conniving government officers.


"Due to this evil nexus, hundreds of revamp projects are stuck in Mumbai and other big cities, spelling misery for lakhs of society members," Tiwari told The Perfect Voice.


Hailing the judgement, the four societies’ Coordinator Pankaj Gupta, claimed it will green-light the Deemed Conveyance and allow revamp of these and other dilapidated old buildings, which languished for years thanks to multiple litigations for flimsy reasons.

 

Gupta said the judgement is a boon to all CHSs desperate for redevelopment, but are stuck in avoidable legal quagmire, mostly initiated by the conniving builders-officials, to harass the society members.


In the judgement, Justice Sandeep V. Marne said that one of the reasons cited by the Thane DDR&CA of Cooperative Societies, for rejecting the application for unilateral Deemed Conveyance was ‘incomplete layout’.


However, once the Occupation Certificate is issued to the building constructed in the layout and a CHS formed, then the Society can ask for unilateral Deemed Conveyance, said the judge.


The judge alluded to a GR (June 22, 2018) which clearly indicates granting of unilateral Deemed Conveyance of the land and building where several buildings are under construction on a single plot or work on all has yet to be completed.


The high court overturned the DDR&CA’s ground for rejecting the unilateral Deemed Conveyance that the sanctioned plan copy was not ‘legible’, saying the CHSs could have been easily asked to produce a clearer copy of the same.


On the DDR&CA argument of an alleged ‘mismatch’ of the area in the Certificate of Architect – Justice Marne said the architect or the builder could have been asked to submit a fresh Certificate.


Setting aside the order (March 28, 2024), the judge remanded the four CHSs’ proceedings back to the DDR&CA to decide them, as per the GR (June 22, 2018), and give full opportunity to the aggrieved societies plus the developer along with the relevant documents submitted by them.


Counsel Bishwajeet Mukherjee and Advocate Humera Syed appeared on behalf of the middle-class petitioner-Societies – unitedly fighting against the powerful builders JHPL and SLDC.

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