Bombay High Court Fines Businessmen One Lakh Each for Challenging PMC’s Actions
Pune, 27th February 2024: Despite the imposed ban, unauthorized construction activities persisted near the Department of Defense site, prompting Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take swift action against these encroachments. However, the businessmen responsible for the encroachment challenged PMC’s actions by filing a petition in the Bombay High Court.
The petitioners soon realized that pursuing this legal recourse came with a hefty price tag, as the Bombay High Court levied fines of one lakh rupees each against them. This ruling effectively affirmed the correctness of PMC’s actions. PMC was represented in the High Court by advocates Abhijit Kulkarni and Rishikesh Pethe.
The unauthorized constructions took place adjacent to the highway, within a 500-meter radius of the High Energy Materials Research Library (HEMRL) situated at Pashan on the Pune-Bangalore highway.
Advocate Nisha Chavan, the Legal Adviser, revealed that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has imposed a fine of one lakh rupees on each of the six individuals due to misinformation provided by the petitioners. The order specifies that PMC is tasked with collecting the fines, and the collected amount is to be directed towards social organizations.
The issue at hand revolves around several furniture-selling shops located along the Pune-Bangalore highway towards Mumbai, situated on the hillside owned by the High Energy Materials Research Library (HEMRL). HEMRL, an organization affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, operates in an area deemed highly sensitive in terms of security. Violations of construction rules occurred within 500 meters of this site, prompting HEMRL to complain to PMC, urging the demolition of these unauthorized constructions. PMC took proactive measures in response to HEMRL’s complaint.
