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BMC row: Kangana Ranaut to claim damages, fight tooth and nail
Mrityunjay Bose
DHNS
Last Updated IST
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut arrives at her office, where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation conducted a demolition drive, at Pali Hill in Mumbai, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. Credit: PTI Photo
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut arrives at her office, where the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation conducted a demolition drive, at Pali Hill in Mumbai, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020. Credit: PTI Photo

A day after Mumbai’s civic body hammered the alleged illegal constructions and alterations, Kangana Ranaut on Thursday visited her Pali Hill office to take stock of the damages done.

The 33-year-old actor has decided to claim the damages from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and is ready to fight tooth and nail.

Kangana drove from her home in Khar and visited the Pali Hill bungalow amid tight security arrangements amid cheers from her supporters.

In a related development, two complaints were filed against her for using the insulting language for Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

RPI president and Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Ramdas Athawale, who met Kangana, said she is going to fight it out. “She told me ‘I am a Mumbaikar’ and she will fight it out. She will claim damages from the BMC,” Athawale said.

The Bombay High Court has ordered a ‘status quo’ and posted the matter for hearing on September 22.

Appearing before a division bench comprising Justice SJ Kathawalla and justice RI Chagla, the BMC team which included two senior counsels pointed out that she had no basis to dispute the illegal works carried out.

The BMC affidavit also rejected Kangana's charges saying she is “trying to obfuscate and cover-up” her illegal construction works “by making baseless and wild allegations of malafide, etc”.

The civic body outright denied her charges that principles of natural justice have been violated. “She has made false and incorrect statements and has not approached the court with clean hands. The present petition is misconceived and devoid of any merits and liable to be dismissed with costs,” said the BMC.

Denying the BMC’s contention, Kangana’s lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui sought more time from the court to amend the petition to incorporate some additional information.

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(Published 10 September 2020, 21:25 IST)