BMC's double standards exposed: Manish Malhotra gets a week, Kangana gets bulldozer

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) double standards came to light on Thursday after the local body gave fashion designer Manish Malhotra seven days to respond to a show-cause notice while actor Kangana Ranaut was given just 24 hours to respond to a notice for the same reason following which demolition proceedings were initiated by the local body. 

The BMC, on Wednesday, proceeded to demolish a portion of Kangana's Manikarnika Films office at Pali Hill in Mumbai whilst the actor was still enroute to the city from Himachal Pradesh via Chandigarh.

BMC's move to allow Manish Malhotra to respond in a week's time while proceeding to demolish Kangana's office after giving her just 24 hours to respond has exposed the discrepancy in the local body's actions. The action was also called out in scathing terms by the Bombay High Court which stayed it about 3 hours after it began and sought a reply from the BMC on Kangana's plea seeking said stay.

It is also pertinent to point out that Kangana Ranaut was not present in Mumbai at the time when the show-cause notice was served by the BMC. Further, the local body officials initiated the demolition proceedings despite Kangana's advocate Rizwan Siddiqui informing the officials that the matter was sub-judice.

READ | Sharad Pawar Confronts CM Uddhav Over Action On Kangana; Voices Displeasure Face-to-face

BMC serves show-cause notice to Manish Malhotra

The BMC issued a show-cause notice to fashion designer Manish Malhotra for illegally turning a residential space into a commercial property. Malhotra has been given seven days to respond to the notice. BMC's notice to Manish Malhotra comes a day after the Shiv Sena-led local body razed down Kangana Ranaut's office, in what has been described as 'hasty conduct' by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. 

READ | Kangana Vs Sena: Himachal CM Assures Police Security To Ranaut While Travelling To Mumbai

BMC demolishes part of Kangana Ranaut's office

On Tuesday, the BMC issued a 'stop work notice' to Kangana Ranaut under section 354(A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and has told the Bollywood actor to produce permission within 24 hours. However, BMC officials on Wednesday pasted a new notice at her office stating that the structure will be demolished. They then broke the lock of the premises and partially demolished parts of the building before Ranaut's lawyer moved the HC, which gave her interim relief from the demolition process.  Meanwhile, sources report that the BMC has also moved a civil court seeking permission to break down actress Kangana Ranaut's residence at Khar. 

READ | Kangana Vs Raut Faceoff: 'Queen' Actor Hits Back, Says, 'You Are Not Maharashtra'

Hearing in Bombay High Court

Pulling up Mumbai's civic body BMC for its partial demolition of Kangana Ranaut's Pali Hill office, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday, said that BMC's actions were not bonafide, smacking of 'malafide'. In the order accessed by Republic TV, the HC bench comprising of Justices S J Kathawalla and R I Chagla, notes that the civic body had woken up from its slumber 'overnight' regarding 'unauthorised' works. The Bombay High Court has stayed BMC's demolition and told it to reply to the petitioner by 3:00 PM on Thursday.

READ |  Kangana Ranaut Calls Out The 'fancy Feminists' After HC Slams BMC's 'malafide' Action