Mumbai: The Bombay High Court in a scathing order directed the Municipal Corporation to immediately stop the demolition of actress Kangana Ranaut bungalow in Pali Hill, Bandra. The High Court bench of Justices S. J. Kathawalla and Riyaz Chagla said though the manner in which BMC proceeded to commence the demolition primafacie, smacks of mala fide it was giving an opportunity to BMC to explain its conduct on affidavit by Thursday.

       The order came at an urgent hearing within hours of a civic squad launching the demolition. The BMC, controlled by Siva Sena which part of ruling Mahavikas Aghadi alliance in the state, had dispatched a squad with heavy machinery to her place in the morning and flattened portions of the row house.

Kangana, who was vacationing in her hometown in Himachal Pradesh, landed in the city a few hours after the BMC’s action began. Before she reached Mumbai, Kangana, through her lawyer Riyaz Siddiqee, has approached HC to prevent the illegal, arbitrary mala fide demolition, which she claimed was fallout over the difference of opinion with certain influential people operating the civic administration and Maharashtra Government.

She sought directions to quash the BMC’s stop work notice issued on Tuesday.  The HC bench said it is clear that the unauthorized works have not come up overnight. However, all of a sudden, the BMC appears to have woken up from its slumber, issued notice to the petitioner, when she is out of the state, directing her to respond within 24 hours, and not granting her any further time despite return request, and proceeding to demolish, on completion of 24 hours.