On February
27, Justices G S Singhvi and Sudhanshu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya ruled that the
violations cannot be regularized and told the BMC
to take action. The buildings—Esha Ekta, Patel, Orchid, BY, Midtown,
and Shubh—were constructed by four developers on a plot that used to
house Pure Drinks, manufacturers of Campa Cola. While the builders were
granted permissions for ground-plus-five floors but, Midtown went up to
20 floors, Orchid to 17, Esha Ekta to eight, Shubh to seven and BY and
Patel to six floors each.

Rajesh Parikh, a businessman residing
on B Y Apartments’ sixth floor, said, “We plan to file a review plea.
When the government can regularize illegal slums, why cannot the same
largesse be given to us? We did not know of the illegalities when we
bought the flats.”

Karan Sethia, a sixth-floor resident of
Patel Apartments, said, “We are suffering despite it not being our
fault. The BMC failed to take action before we bought the flat,” he
said.

The BMC has indicated it is in no hurry to demolish the
flats. Building proposal department officials said they have asked the
legal department to study the order and will then decide the course of
action. “If a review plea is filed, action will be delayed,” an official
said.