Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday extended the status quo on any redevelopment activity of the Savarkar Sadan in Dadar, for three weeks.
A bench of Chief Justice ALok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne said that the status of the building must not be altered until further orders and asked the state government to file its affidavit in three weeks.
The HC had granted status quo and sought clarity from the state government on the timeline for granting heritage status to the property.
The HC was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Abhinav Bharat Congress, a Hindu organisation led by Dr Pankaj K Phadnis, seeking heritage protection for the building.
Savarkar Sadan, located in Shivaji Park, was once the residence of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The PIL urged the state government to act on a 2012 recommendation by the BMC to include the building in Mumbai’s official Heritage List. The petitioner highlighted that despite this recommendation, the Urban Development Department had failed to take action for over a decade.
It was only in February, after an email from the Chief Minister’s Office, that the department was directed to examine the matter. However, concerns remain that the property could be demolished before any heritage status is conferred. The petition cited news reports suggesting imminent demolition of the structure.
The petition also urged the Central government to consider declaring Savarkar Sadan a “Monument of National Importance,” even though it currently falls short of the 100-year age requirement under existing norms. Drawing a comparison with Jinnah House, which enjoys protected heritage status, the petitioner questioned why a similar recognition was denied to Savarkar Sadan.
Among the reliefs sought are interim protection to prevent any changes to the building, formal inclusion in the heritage list, a central policy to grant national recognition, and compensation for Savarkar’s legal heirs in case redevelopment rights are affected.
