2024 Supreme(Bom) 474
B. P. COLABAWALLA, SOMASEKHAR SUNDARESAN
Vrindavan Chsl – Appellant
Versus
State Of Maharashtra – Respondent
Advocate Appeared:
Mr. R. A. Dada, Senior Advocate a/w Mr. Narayan Sahu, Zubair Dada, Vicky Singh, Spenta Kapadia, M. S. Federal, Murtuza Federal, Nitika Bagaria, Sudarshan Satalkar & Sejal Jain i/b Fededal & Company, Advocates for Petitioners in WP/923/2014.; Mr. R. A. Dada, Senior Advocate a/w Mr. Narayan Sahu, M. S. Federal, Murtuza Federal, Veer Ashar & Aaroha Kulkarni i/b Federal & Company, Advocates for Applicant in IA(L)/8890/2024; Mr. R. A. Dada, Senior Advocate a/w Mr. Narayan Sahu, Mrs. Spenta Kapadia, M.S.Federal, Murtuza Federal, Nitika Bagaria, Sudarshan Satalkar i/b Federal & Co., Advocates for Respondent in IA/205/2024; Mr. R. A. Dada, Senior Advocate a/w Mr. Narayan Sahu, M.S.Federal, Murtuza Federal, Nitika Bagaria, Sudarshan Satalkar i/b Federal & Co., Advocates for Applicant in IA/19828/2023; Mr. Navroz Seervai, Senior Counsel a/w Gulnar Mistry, Shaukat Merchant, Zerick Dastoor, Guru Shanmugam & Dhruval Suthar i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/493/2015; Mr. Navroz Seervai, Senior Counsel a/w Gulnar Mistry, Shaukat Merchant, Guru Shanmugam & Dhruval Suthar i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/483/2015 & WP/491/2015; Mr. Rohan Sathaye a/w Shaukat Merchant, Guru Shonmugan & Dhruval Suthar i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/328/2015; Mr. Bernado Reis a/w Mr. Viraj Jadhav i/b Kevin Pereira, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/3144/2022 & WP/3131/2022; Mr. Nimay Dave a/w Samit Shukla, Saloni Shah, Mustafa Nulwala & Sayali Diwadkar i/b DSK Legal, Advocates for Petitioner in WPL/34697/2023; Mr. Aloukik R. Pai a/w Mr. Shanmukh Puranik i/b Bina Pai, Advocates for Applicant in IA/205/2024; Mr. S.H.Merchant a/w Guru Shonmugan, Rihal Kazi, Dhruval Suttar, Zainab Tinwala & Rishita Dubey i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/511/2015 & WP/348/2015; Mr. Shaukat Merchant a/w Rihal Kazi. Dhruwal Suthar, Zainab Tinwala, Guru Shonmugan, Kajal Rai & Rishita Dubey i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/348/2015 & WP/347/2015; Mr. Rohan Sathaye a/w Shaukat Merchant, Guru Shanmugm, Zainab Tinwala & Mr. Rishita Dubey i/b M & M Legal Venture, Advocates for Petitioner in WP/328/2015; Mr. Gaurav Mehta a/w Mukul Taly & Sehyar Taly i/b S. Mohamedbhai & Co., Advocates for Applicant in IA(L)/8802/2024; Dr. Birendra Saraf, Advocate General a/w Ms. Jyoti Chavan, Addl. GP, Pooja Patil, AGP (for State in WP/328/2015, WP/923/2014, WP/511/2019 & WP/483/2015); (a/w Mr. Mohit Jadhav, AGP for State in WP/511/2015); (a/w Mr. A. L. Patki, Addl. G. P. a/w Pooja Patil, AGP For State in WP/921/2020, & WP/3131/2022); (a/w Mr. Milind More, Addl. G.P. for State in WP/493/2015); (a/w Ms. Pooja Patil, AGP for State in WP/3144/2022); (a/w Ms. Nazia Shaikh, AGP for State in WP/347/2015); and (a/w. Mr. Amar Mishra, AGP for State in WP/L/8174/2024); Mr. Chetan Kapadia, Senior Counsel a/w. Rohan Sathaye a/w. S.H. Merchant, Guru Shanmugam, Zainab Tinwala & Kajal Rai i/b. M & M Legal Ventures, Advocates for Petitioners in WP/L/8174/2024
JUDGMENT :
B.P. Colabawalla, J.
1. These writ petitions challenge the constitutional validity of certain terms on which long-term leases granted by the State to various lessees, most of which are Housing Societies, all located in Bandra, are being renewed. The litigation over these leases has had a chequered history in this Court, these petitions constituting the latest round of litigation. At the heart of the challenge is the assertion that any linkage between the lease rentals for the lands on which various residential premises stand, and the value of those lands, is per se prohibited owing to past rulings of this Court. The issues boil down to interpreting the terms of contract [the expired Lease Deeds] between the petitioners and the State, and the Government Resolutions that fix the methodology for calculating the lease rent payable by the Petitioners who seek renewal of their lease.
2. Added to the mix, are the terms on which the said Leasehold lands may be converted into Freehold lands under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, if the Petitioners so choose to do. However, this conversion issue is not under challenge in these proceedings. For completeness, we must also menti
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