Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Foods Move Bombay High Court Seeking Removal Of Encroachers From Its Land

Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Foods Private Limited has approached the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the Maharashtra government and its authorities to remove the illegal encroachments on several of its lands situated in Khalapur in Raigad district near Navi Mumbai.

The petition filed through advocate Apoorv Srivastava contends that the authorities have failed to protect and safeguard the lands owned by Patanjali Foods Private Limited from illegal encroachers, who have opened up shops on these land parcels.

According to the petition, three persons - Sunil Malsure, Mayur Devghare and Sudesh Khandagale - have opened a local politician's office, a hotel and a tyre shop, respectively.

"The three respondents are are the trespassers and illegal encroachers of the subject land owned by the Petitioner. It is submitted that Malsure is in unlawful possession of the subject land and has erected an SM (local politician's) office on the said land in blatant violation of the law. Devghare has similarly acted in contravention of legal provisions by illegally constructing a hotel on the said land. This unauthorised construction not only infringes upon the rights of the Petitioner but also poses a grave and imminent threat to the safety of the factory workmen, individuals associated with the factory, and visitors frequenting the illegal hotel. Furthermore, Khandagale is unlawfully utilising the subject land for the operation of a tyre puncture shop, an activity that exacerbates the hazards posed to the Petitioner's factory operations, its workers, and other stakeholders," the plea reads. 

These acts of encroachment and unauthorised usage collectively represent a 'flagrant' violation of property and safety norms, necessitating immediate judicial intervention and remedial action, the plea reads. 

"This unauthorised construction not only infringes upon the rights of the Petitioner but also poses a grave and imminent threat to the safety of the factory workmen, individuals associated with the factory, and visitors frequenting the illegal hotel," the plea states. 

Further, it is stated that despite multiple complaints to the relevant authorities namely: the Deputy Collector, the Tehsildar, the Chief Engineer and also his deputy, none helped the petitioner. 

"Despite bringing to the notice of and writing various letters to respondent authorities of the plausible and imminent danger to the public and the encroachers themselves and others working in the Petitioner Company, due to unauthorised and illegal construction constructed by them, the Respondent Authorities have miserably failed to take cognisance of the fact and take appropriate actions in that regard against the encroachers. The Petitioner states and submits that by not following the provisions of the said Act, the said Respondent Authorities are allowing the illegal encroachers to unlawfully and illegally use, occupy, and continue to be in possession of the subject land of the Petitioner," the plea states. 

The matter was listed for hearing on Thursday before a division bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr Neela Gokhale. However, the same was ordered to be placed before the bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, which presently has the assignment to hear the said plea.