3 min readMumbaiFeb 17, 2026 08:16 AM IST
Commanding Officer (CO) of INS Shikra has approached the Bombay High Court alleging “illegal” and “unauthorised” construction of “Jadhavji Mansion” high-rise building situated within 246 metres of the highly sensitive Naval Air Station and VVIP heliport of Colaba in South Mumbai.
The HC said that no worker or others would be permitted to enter the premises in question from Monday till February 18, when it will pass further orders.
The Court took a note that “Prime Minister of India would be landing at INS Shikra air station and since this petition has been filed by the Local Military Authority, the Commanding Officer, INS Shikra.”
The bench added, “Keeping in view the great anxiety expressed as regards the security protocol, the learned Senior Advocate for the Developer, Respondent makes a statement and we direct that not a single worker deployed on any activity of whatsoever nature in the writ building, would be permitted to enter the building for the construction, development, masonry activities etc. from midnight of today i.e. February 16, 2026 until the hearing in this matter on Wednesday dated February 18, 2026.”
A bench of Justices Ravindra V Ghuge and Abhay J Mantri on Monday was hearing the plea by the CO, the local military authority of INS Shikra, which argued through advocate Mihir R Govilkar that the planning authority granted and continued permissions to the said building without obtaining the mandatory No Objection Certificate from the Navy.
The petitioner said that several amendments made after 2011 “unlawfully increased the height and number of floors without the NOC, creating a direct line of sight into operational and heliport areas.”
Govilkar argued that despite repeated written objections raising grave national security and public safety concerns, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) failed to exercise its mandatory powers under Section 354-A (to stop erection of building or work commenced or carried on unlawfully) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, and the same amounted to “statutory dereliction in the face of prima facie illegality and danger.”
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“Non-application of mind to proximity, line of sight, and operational sensitivity of INS Shikra vitiates all permissions…the construction is illegal and poses a continuing threat to naval operations and VVIP safety,” the plea claimed.
The plea also said that the construction in question posed “a direct threat to national security, VVIP heliport operations, and Article 21 (of the Constitution) rights to safety” and “no equity or third-party rights can arise from an illegal construction.” The plea sought demolition of the entire structure as “effective and proportionate remedy.”
