Mumbai: Bombay high court on Wednesday said it would pass an interim order on the petition filed Indian Navy’s Local Military Authority challenging as “illegal and unauthorised” the construction of an over 20-storey building near INS Shikra, a highly sensitive naval air station and VVIP heliport at Colaba, on Friday. A division bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri posted, as part-heard, to Friday, the petition while saying it was conscious of the sensitivity of the matter.“We are going to extend paramount importance to the security aspect. There is no doubt about it,” the bench orally said to Navy’s senior counsel R V Govilkar, after he argued that work on Jadhavji Mansion ought to be stopped as it flouts guidelines on construction heights for buildings within 500m of sensitive installations and lacks a Naval no-objection certificate (NOC).In the first half of the day, senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas for the builder, Opul Constructions Pvt Ltd, questioned what the Navy was doing for 15 years since permission was given and later when construction began. HC too questioned the Navy, saying it should have been more alert. Dwarkadas submitted the guidelines do not mandate a Naval NOC, and the 2011 guidelines only say defence can object on reasonable grounds if it feels construction within 500m above four storeys is a security threat. He added slums sit in the vicinity and questioned why they weren’t a threat.Govilkar said line of sight should be protected. He added the Navy pursued the matter with BMC since mid-2025, when the building was up to the 15th floor, and the civic body stalled replies.There was a NOC proposal received by the Navy for an adjoining proposed construction of Minoor Manor, and during that site inspection, Govilkar said, work on Jadhavji Mansion was noticed. Immediately, in July 2025, BMC was asked to stop work, but it did not, citing prior approvals. He added that only after regular follow-up did BMC, in Jan 2026, share plans for higher floors. He also said an IIT report stated that the building is probably 76m high.The bench suggested passing a holding order — till the matter is finally heard — by allowing construction up to 15 floors, which was the original permission in 2010 for a height of 53m with various conditions and subject to final orders. On Monday, HC had noted the builder’s senior counsel SK Mishra’s consent and directed not to send workers for construction or masonary work till Wednesday, given the then impending arrival of PM Modi to the city at the heliport near the site. On Wednesday, HC said as Thursday is a state holiday, it would pass an interim order on Friday.
