Foreshore Society Case

The Maharashtra Government allotted certain plots of land to the Foreshore Cooperative Housing Society Limited (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Society’), a Cooperative Society formed by some sitting and retired Judges of the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court. The land was originally allotted to the Society on a ground rent calculated at 8 per cent of the value of the land worked out at Rs.2280/- per sq. metre but, by a letter dated 21.1.1990), the ground rent was reduced to six and a half per cent per annum on the value of the land calculated at the rate of Rs.1050/- per sq. metre. A writ petition was filed by the Nivara Hakk Suraksha Samiti, Bombay, by way of public interest litigation, challenging the validity of the above allotment and reduction in lease rent. The High Court, after hearing contentions of both the parties, upheld the allotment but set aside the reduction of the lease rent as per the letter dated 21.1.1990.

the plots in question were reserved in the draft development plan for “housing the dishoused” and that, therefore, the allotment of this land to the society for housing purposes was not proper.

The proposal for the judges' Foreshore Cooperative Housing Society was first mooted during Pawar's earlier reign as chief minister in 1980.