Govt authorities ganging up on Adarsh Society: Counsel

Alleging that all government authorities were ganging up on Adarsh Housing Society, the society's counsel on Friday told the Bombay High Court that the Ministry of Environment and Forests had cleared various construction projects in the city without insisting for a clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority.

A division bench of Justices Ranjana Desai and R G Ketkar was hearing the society's petition challenging the order passed by MoEF directing for demolition of the 31-storey building in south Mumbai.

Arguing for the Society, senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas said in many other cases the MoEF had granted clearances to constructions without recommendations from the Urban Development Department or the MCZMA. The counsel named a project in suburban Khar that had MoEF's clearance in August 2003 and another clearance granted to a Tata construction in Navy Nagar.

"All the authorities are now ganging up Adarsh. This is a conspiracy. Until last year no one raised any objection of illegality. But the moment the media claimed that the building was unauthorised the MOEF sprung into action," Dwarkadas argued.

He further said that it would be "blatantly absurd" to suggest that so many departments of the state government colluded with the society to grant it sanctions only to declare it illegal in the end.

The court has adjourned the matter for further hearing till August 12.