Pune: 30 Houses, 100 Shops Evicted from Refugee Property Amid High Court Battle
Pune, 12th July 2024: A legal tussle over a historic two-and-a-half-acre property, originally allocated to a refugee family after Partition, has culminated in a significant encroachment removal operation. The dispute, centered on ‘Mobos Compound’ at CTS 17 Final Plot No. 20 Bundgarden, near the Charity Commissioner’s office, Dhole Patil Road, saw the involvement of local authorities amidst heavy security on Thursday.
The Koregaon Park Police Station registered a case involving builder Basant Kumar Kapurchand Jain and Deepak Gogri, along with others, following a complaint filed by Mandal officer Pushpa Vasant Gosavi (54). The property, home to a 150-year-old British bungalow and former government offices, has been subject to legal wrangling since its allocation to Kanhaiyalal Bijlani’s family post-Partition.
Initially entrusted to Basant Kumar Jain via power of attorney by Kanhaiyalal Bijlani, the property’s ownership came under dispute after Bijlani’s nephew, Prakash Bijlani, revoked the power of attorney. This led to a case (CR 225) filed at Koregaon Park Police Station in 2018.
The High Court subsequently issued orders to maintain status quo and handed temporary possession to Pune City Tehsildar pending further decisions. However, encroachments proliferated on the site, prompting a directive from the High Court to clear them. Despite opposition from shop and house owners, the Supreme Court upheld the decision, leading to Thursday’s extensive clearance operation.
“The encroachments, including around 30 houses and nearly 100 shops, were demolished throughout the day with the assistance of twelve JCBs, trucks, police vehicles, and municipal resources,” confirmed an officer. The operation also involved the immediate removal of debris and the planned installation of a perimeter fence.
Ashwini Satpute, Senior Police Inspector of Koregaon Park Police Station, said that the mandal officer had filed the complaint under authorization from the Tehsildar. “The High Court’s directive to remove encroachments was diligently executed,” she added.
Sub-Divisional Officer Sneha Devkate clarified the government’s stance, asserting, “The property is under government possession, subject to ongoing litigation in the High Court. The Supreme Court’s order for encroachment removal was promptly enforced with the support of Pune Police and Municipal Corporation.”
Approximately 200 police personnel, including senior officers and municipal officials, participated in the operation to ensure compliance with court orders and restore the property’s legal status amidst ongoing legal proceedings.
