Sood has no license to run hotel had faced demolition earlier too BMC

    Mumbai, Jan 13 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday urged the Bombay High Court to
dismiss actor Sonu Sood's petition seeking to restrain the
civic body from carrying out demolition at his property here.
    Sood suppressed the facts that demolition had been
carried out at the building for illegal construction earlier
too and he had no license to run a hotel there, the BMC said.
    The actor moved the HC after the Dindoshi City Civil
Court refused to restrain the civic body from taking action
against alleged unauthorized alterations at the building which
stands in Juhu area.
    Sood converted six floors of the residential building
into a hotel without permission, the BMC has alleged.
    Arguing before Justice P K Chavan, BMC lawyer and
senior advocate Anil Sakhare said the demolition notice was
issued in October 2020 after it came to light that he had made
several alterations in breach of the sanctioned plans.
    The actor constructed 24 hotel rooms on six floors,
numbered them, and guests were found to be staying in these
rooms, Sakhare said.
    Advocate Amogh Singh, Sood's lawyer, contended that he
carried out only beautification work for which the BMC's
permission was not needed.
    Sood had applied for a change of user of the property
in October but the application was pending, he said.
    But the BMC lawyer pointed out that he had not
submitted any proof of such an application.
    Parts of the property had been demolished by the BMC
in November 2018 and again in February 2020 for unauthorized
construction, Sakhare said.
    "He keeps restoring demolished portions every time
without permission. He has no technical permission or a
license to use the property as a hotel.
    "Yet, he suppresses these facts in his appeal....the
appellant has not come with clean hands," Sakhare said,
demanding that the plea be dismissed.
    The actor's lawyer also told the court that he had
mortgaged the property with a private bank and was using the
funds for "social causes".
    Last year, Sood had earned praise for helping migrant
labourers who were returning to their native states after
lockdown was enforced for coronavirus.
    Justice Chavan, however, said this point was not
relevant.
    The court said it was reserving its ruling which will
be pronounced soon. PTI AYA
KRK KRK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)