In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld a High Court decision setting aside the acquisition of church-owned land in Mumbai declared as a Slum Rehabilitation Area. The Court held that the private owner has a preferential statutory right to redevelop slum areas and must receive a specific notice-cum-invitation from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) before acquisition can proceed. The 2018 Amendment to the Slums Act, while adding timelines, did not dilute this right. The SRA had failed to issue such notice to the Church Trust and instead facilitated acquisition through a developer exploiting slum dwellers. The Court found the conduct of the developer and SRA tainted with mala fides and dismissed the appeals, directing the Church Trust be given 120 days to submit its development scheme.", <parameter name="citations">[]
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