Bombay HC Sets Aside CM Fadnavis' Stay Order On Pune Redevelopment Project
The court upheld MHADA-approved redevelopment of Sunglory Society, ordered an early decision on Nutan Society, and criticised improper administrative handling of the case.
Published : January 10, 2026 at 1:02 PM IST
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has set aside the stay imposed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on a redevelopment project in Pune, stating that even though the Chief Minister has the authority to halt a project, the principles of natural justice must always be followed.
The court made the observation while allowing the redevelopment work of a housing society in Pune's Lokmanya Nagar area to proceed.
The case related to two residential societies, Sunglory Co-operative Housing Society and Nuta Society, located in Lokmanya Nagar. Both societies had approached the High Court separately, seeking relief after redevelopment of their old and dilapidated buildings was stalled.
Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had already granted redevelopment permission to Sunglory Society. Nutan Society was informed that its proposal was still under consideration. However, the matter took a political turn when BJP MLA Hemant Rasne wrote to Chief Minister Fadnavis, seeking cancellation of the redevelopment permission as part of a cluster redevelopment issue.
Acting on this letter, CM Fadnavis noted in the file that the redevelopment should be stayed until further orders. Following this, redevelopment came to a halt.
Challenging this decision, both societies moved the Bombay High Court. A division bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni and Justice Aarti Sathe in a recent order ruled in favour of the societies. The court stated that staying an approved redevelopment project without following the legal procedure and due process cannot be justified. It also said that no authority, including the Chief Minister, can bypass natural justice.
The High Court upheld the redevelopment approval granted to Sunglory Society and lifted the stay with immediate effect. It also directed MHADA to decide on Nutan Society's redevelopment proposal at the earliest.
MHADA's lawyer Prakash Lad argued that the Chief Minister had not formally issued a stay order and that it was only a remark on the file. He added that the letter regarding redevelopment was later withdrawn. However, expressing dissatisfaction, the court said that MHADA failed to act responsibly at the right time.
The court also observed that if the local MLA had concerns about public interest, the views of local residents should have been heard before taking any decision.
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