Mumbai News: BMC Refuses To Reinstate K/East Ward Officer Navnath Ghadge Who Led Vile Parle Jain Temple Demolition, Citing Protocol Breach Despite HC Clearance

Mumbai: After the Bombay High Court (HC) upheld the lawful demolition of an unauthorised Jain temple in Vile Parle East, the the Brihanmumbai Municipal Engineers Union (BMEU) urged Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to reinstate Navnath Ghadge as K/East Ward Assistant Commissioner.

Gagrani, however, clarified that the transfer was due to Ghadge's failure to inform his seniors prior to the demolition and reinstatement is not under consideration.

On April 16, the K/East ward team demolished the 90-year-old 1008 Parshvanath Digambar Jain Temple located inside the Neminath Cooperative Housing Society in Vile Parle’s Kambli wadi, following a city civil court order. The action sparked protests from the Jain community, leading the BMC to remove Ghadge from his post.

However, on Tuesday, the HC dismissed the temple trust’s appeal and upheld the demolition as legal, thereby validating the BMC’s action. In light of the court’s ruling, the BMEU urged Municipal Commissioner to approve Ghadge’s pending promotion to Deputy Chief Engineer (Civil). The union stated that reinstating him would rectify the injustice caused by his abrupt transfer and help restore his professional dignity.

Yashwant Dhuri, General Secretary of BMEU, said, “Ghadge is currently serving as Deputy Chief Engineer in the Slum Sanitation Programme. If the BMC does not reinstate him as Assistant Commissioner, we will protest if necessary.”

However, Gagrani clarified, “Ghadge wasn’t transferred for demolishing the temple, but for failing to inform his seniors before taking action. The demolition was carried out in undue haste. So, there is no question of his reinstatement.”

Meanwhile, following the HC directives the BMC will soon remove the debris and recover the cost of demolition from the trust, said an official. The BMC had issued a demolition notice in December 2024, which was subsequently challenged by the temple trust.