Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday permitted a plea filed by the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) seeking permission to hold visual arts and other such events at the city’s Cross Maidan as part of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival to be held next month.
The plea with an interim one in a writ filed by the public trust, Organisation for Verdant Ambience and Land (OVAL), in 2018 in which it had challenged the government resolution that had transferred the authority to maintain the Cross Maidan from the Collector to the BMC.
A division bench of Justice RD Dhanuka and Justice MM Sathaye passed the order. It said the permission is subject to an undertaking that refreshment and commercial stalls will not be set up at the ground.
Appearing for the KGA, advocate Siddhi Doshi told the bench that the festival was not-for-profit, offers a space for art and charges nominal fees to entities to set up stalls. The advocate added that entry to the festival was free of cost.
Senior advocate Navroz Seervai appearing for the OVAL opposed the plea and pointed out the Maidan was reserved as a playground and hence such permission cannot be granted.
OVAL had earlier filed a petition against the commercial use of the ground. Earlier directives of the court had mandated that organisers seek its permission for holding any event on the ground as it was a playground as per the Development Plan.
