Overview
- A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri asked why the Navy failed to act sooner as a 23-storey tower rose near the sensitive naval air station.
- Hearings follow a temporary halt ordered on February 16 citing urgent security concerns ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to INS Shikra.
- The Navy’s petition claims the BMC granted approvals without a mandatory NOC despite repeated written objections, while the developer argues no NOC was required under guidelines.
- Judges indicated potential interim terms including buyer disclosures, construction strictly at the developer’s risk, and possible demolition if the project is ultimately found to endanger security.
- The site lies about 246 metres from the base, and the court discussed permitting height only up to roughly 53.07 metres to avoid direct line‑of‑sight into operational and heliport areas.