Mumbai News: PIL Filed In Bombay HC To Preserve Savarkar Sadan Amid Concerns Over Redevelopment And Demolition

Mumbai: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking the preservation of Savarkar Sadan, the historic residence of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, amid concerns that the iconic structure may be demolished for redevelopment.

The PIL was mentioned on Wednesday before a bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice MS Karnik, who asked the petitioner to file an application for urgent hearing.

The plea follows media reports highlighting the potential demolition of the building, located in Dadar’s Shivaji Park. Originally constructed in 1938 as a two-storey bungalow, Savarkar Sadan holds historical significance as the residence of Savarkar and the venue of several important meetings, including ones with Subhas Chandra Bose in 1940 and Nathuram Godse in 1948, prior to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

Over the decades, additional floors were added under the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) policy, resulting in a five-storey structure. Today, the building is jointly owned by multiple parties. While some residents have agreed to the redevelopment and even sold their apartments to a developer, others, including Savarkar followers, have raised strong objections. They have sought heritage status and recognition of the building as a monument of national importance.

This is not the first legal attempt to preserve the building. A similar PIL was filed in 2008, following which the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee recommended “Grade II A” heritage status in January 2009.

However, the proposal has been pending with the state urban development department since 2011. No modification is allowed to the exteriors of structures categorised as Grade II A, while internal changes and adaptive re-use is allowed subject to strict scrutiny.

The fresh PIL urges the court to direct the state to act on the long-pending recommendation and protect the historic building from being razed.