Maharashtra Govt to Challenge HC Order on 254-Acre Mira-Bhayander Land

Mumbai, May 9 (PTI) The Maharashtra government will move the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order directing the transfer of around 254.88 acres of land in Mira-Bhayander in Thane district to two builders, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Saturday.

According to an official statement, the Bombay High Court had ruled in favour of The Estate Investment and Mira Real Estate Developers in connection with the land, valued at crores of rupees.

“The land belongs to the state government. We will strongly present the government’s side before the Supreme Court and ensure the land remains in government possession,” Bawankule said while announcing the decision to challenge the April 30 verdict through a Special Leave Petition.

The minister said the verdict was unexpected as the land was owned by the state government, and directions had been issued to file an appeal in the apex court.

Explaining the background of the case, the official statement said changes were allegedly made in the revenue records of the land from 1948 onwards without prior government approval. Initially, the name of Estate Investment Company and later Mira Salt Works was inserted in the records illegally, it claimed.

In 1958, the name of the Centre’s Salt Department was added because of salt pan usage on the land. Subsequently, the ownership dispute reached the Supreme Court, which directed that an appeal be filed before the Thane district collector. In 2002, the district collector rejected the claim of Mira Salt Company and ordered that the entire land be vested with the government.

However, in 2019, the companies and the Centre’s Salt Commissioner challenged the order before the Bombay High Court through a first appeal. On April 30, the HC dismissed the Salt Commissioner’s appeal and held that the land belonged to Mira Salt Works, according to the statement.

The government claimed the issue before the HC concerned the maintainability of the first appeal, but the matter was decided on merits, creating the possibility of private entity Mira Real Estate Developers retaining its claim over government land.

Citing provisions of Section 29(3)(c) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, Bawankule asserted the land belongs to the state government.