Mumbai: Bombay high court on Monday dismissed a petition by two societies representing the Koli community in Danda Koliwada, a fishing village in Khar West, that had challenged a court-appointed committee’s finding that slum redevelopment would not adversely affect their activities.Justices Makarand Karnik and Shriram Modak said the Danda Koli Masemari Vyavasayik Sahakari Maryadit and Danda Koli Samaj’s challenge to the committee’s report as well as reliefs claimed “will necessarily entail a detailed fact-finding exercise requiring assessing/addressing/adducing of evidence.” “Hence… the dispute which the petitioners raised can only be resolved before the competent civil court, and it is not possible for us to examine such dispute in the exercise of writ jurisdiction under Article 226…,” they added.Last year, the societies filed a petition challenging Slum Rehabilitation Authority’s (SRA) declaration of a part of their land—3,449sqm out of 9,588sqm—used for drying fish and related activities as slum rehabilitation area. They contended that their ingress and egress for loading and unloading dry fish would be blocked. HC on Dec 17, 2025, appointed a three-member committee of additional principal secretary, urban development department, the collector (suburbs) and chief executive officer, SRA, to hear the parties and have fresh demarcation of the govt land in accordance with law. The committee’s Feb 24 report stated that there was around 26,000sqm of vacant land available on various plots for traditional business of Koli community with direct access to the main Carter Road. The Koli societies then challenged the committee’s report by filing a fresh petition.Senior advocate Gayatri Singh, for the societies, argued that there is a non-buildable reservation on 3,449 sqm area. Senior advocate Ravi Kadam, for Jasani Realty Pvt Ltd, said there is buildable reservation on it. Advocate Amogh Singh, for Hanuman Nagar CHS, said 161 slumdwellers had vacated and there were no fishing drying activities on the plot.The judges noted that HC in the Dec 2025 order had observed that “the dispute is purely on demarcation as to whether the traditional rights of petitioners are in any manner affected by the slum redevelopment in question”. Hence, they said the dispute can be resolved before a competent civil court. “We, therefore, do not find any merit in the petition and keeping all questions open, the writ petition is dismissed,” they added.The judges allowed a request by Singh for a stay on the order, by continuing the status quo operating from the Dec 17 order, for three weeks.
