Sunni Muslim community will soon have a dedicated cemetery after the Bombay High Court was informed on Tuesday that two land parcels had been handed over to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the purpose. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) also assured the court that the third land parcel would be transferred within four weeks.
A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice MS Karnik was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Mohammed Furqan Qureshi, which sought the allocation of land for a Muslim burial ground in Bandra west and Khar west. The PIL also sought a direction to the respondents to provide other necessary facilities and amenities as required for the management and effective functioning of the cemetery.
Qureshi’s PIL pointed out that the Urban Development Department had, in a notification dated September 29, 2022, earmarked a plot for a burial ground. The petitioner argued that the Sunni Muslim population in Bandra and Khar, estimated at 1.72 lakh, lacked adequate burial space. Initially, BMC had stated that it would allocate 3,000 square meters each for Hindu, Muslim, and Christian cemeteries.
In February 2024, the High Court had expressed its frustration over the Maharashtra government’s delay, calling it “incomprehensible” that the land had not yet been handed over.
Following an interim court order, a joint inspection was conducted by BMC and MSRDC officials, and a report was prepared in July 2024, confirming that the total area earmarked for the cemetery across three land parcels was 8,627.77 square meters.
MSRDC counsel Milind Sathe said that land parcels 1 and 2, which were temporarily occupied by labor accommodations for the metro project, have now been handed over to the BMC. he assured the court that possession of land parcel 1 shall be handed over within a period of four weeks.
Confirming the handing over of plots, BMC counsel Anil Sakhare submitted that the civic body shall “develop the aforesaid lands for the intended purpose, expeditiously”.
The HC disposed of the PIL.
