Will freeze all govt land if area not provided: HC

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has warned the state of freezing all government land in the city if it fails to provide land for the Maharashtra National Law University (MNLU). The court asked the state to find out from the university of Mumbai whether it can spare land for the MNLU on its campus at Kalina. The court has given two weeks for the same.  

A division bench of justices S C Dharmadhikari and Bharati Dangare was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Pradeep Havnur seeking directions to the state to provide land for setting up of the MNLU campus as it was operating out of a temporary location as a result of which the state was losing many bright students.

On Wednesday, when the matter came up for hearing, the public prosecutor informed the court that as 40 acres of the 60 acre plot at Gorai initially allotted to the university was given to the Airport Authority of India, the state had identified another plot at Pahadi in Goregaon for setting up the MNLU campus. The state said that though the 50 acre plot was privately owned it would initiate acquisition proceedings if the university was agreeable to the land.

However, senior counsel Milind Sathe for the petitioner said that the Goregaon plot came under Coastal Management Zone and hence undertaking any construction there for the campus would not be possible.

The court also asked the state to clarify if the remaining plot at Gorai could be used for the campus and if not the plot at Goregaon had clearances from the CZM. The bench also sought to know if the UM could spare land for the law university and posted the matter for March 16.