Bombay HC Slams SRA for Stalling Vile Parle Slum Redevelopment, Orders Immediate Commencement Certificate

Mumbai, August 23: In a significant verdict that upholds the rights of slum dwellers and developers, the Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to immediately issue a Commencement Certificate (CC) for a long-pending slum redevelopment project in Vile Parle. The court strongly criticized the SRA and other officials for repeatedly stalling the project despite clear judicial approvals.

The order was passed by a bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, who allowed a writ petition filed by Sateri Builders & Developers LLP and the slum society Shree Gurukrupa SRA CHS. The petition challenged what it described as systematic and deliberate obstruction of the redevelopment project.

The court observed that the SRA had abdicated its statutory duties due to extraneous influences, including alleged interference by local MLA Parag Alavani, who was named as Respondent No. 9.

“It would indeed reflect a most sorry state of affairs when any statutory authority abdicates its statutory duties on account of any extraneous or extrajudicial intervention,” the court remarked in its sharp critique.

The redevelopment pertains to a slum cluster and an adjoining D.P. Road plot on Dayaldas Road. Sateri Builders was appointed to redevelop the area under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in November 2020. A Letter of Intent (LOI) and Intimation of Approval (IOA) were granted in May 2022, with a direction to also accommodate Project Affected Persons (PAPs) displaced by road widening.

However, the project soon became entangled in legal hurdles after some slum dwellers and rival developer Pagrani Universal Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, allegedly backed by the local MLA, challenged the approvals. Although the Apex Grievance Redressal Committee (AGRC) had initially revoked the LOI in July 2022, the Bombay High Court reinstated it in April 2024 — a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2024.

Senior advocate Anil Sakhare and advocate Yogesh Sankpal, representing the developer, accused Alavani of obstructing the project at every stage to benefit a rival builder. They highlighted that the SRA even issued a fresh notice in July 2025, seeking a new proposal for the D.P. Road plot — despite its inclusion already being approved and legally upheld.

Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the state government, denied any undue influence, stating that the Housing Minister merely held a meeting and did not issue any binding directives. He emphasized that the SRA is expected to function independently and lawfully.

Concluding that the developer had fulfilled all its obligations, including depositing rent for PAPs, the court found “absolutely no reason” to delay the project further. It directed the SRA to issue the Commencement Certificate without any further delay and restrained the authority from entertaining objections by Respondents 8 and 9.

Reaffirming the spirit of the Slum Rehabilitation Act, the court underscored that it is a welfare statute aimed at improving the lives of those residing in inhumane conditions.

“The primary object of the Slums Act is to ensure that slum dwellers are protected from eviction without rehabilitation and are provided with decent, secure, and hygienic housing,” the bench observed.

The ruling is expected to not only fast-track the Vile Parle redevelopment but also set a precedent against bureaucratic delays and political interference in similar projects across Mumbai. For hundreds of slum dwellers waiting for better living conditions, the decision comes as a long-awaited relief.