Illegal Construction: Celebs In The News For Wrong Reasons

Comedian Kapil Sharma and actor Irrfan Khan have been in the news lately for their run-ins with the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation. They were alleged to have got done unauthorised work in their flats in a Goregaon highrise. Early media reports also suggested that they might be arrested for these illegal constructions. But what are illegal constructions and how serious an offence are they?

Illegal constructions

Illegal constructions are those where people either build homes on land not owned by them or extend their homes beyond the permissible limits of their property such that their constructions occupy a part of land that is not owned by them. Often, lack of space in big cities leads to illegal constructions, where people encroach upon government land. Another reason for such illegal construction is that people's needs change with time, and they are not always able to purchase new units to cater to their changed needs. So, some people tend to unscrupulously extend their homes, in violation of the rules. And that is not true only for the common man; on many occasions, even celebrities have been accused of carrying out illegal constructions.

Here are a few famous celebrities who have had run-ins with authorities over illegal constructions carried out by them or land-related disputes:

Kapil Sharma

Comedian Kapil Sharma is in the news for an allegedly unauthorised construction in his ninth floor flat in DLH Enclave. BMC officials recently presented the original plan and the violations made by Sharma and the police are in the process of sending a notice to Sharma in this regard. Besides, other homes of Sharma are also being inspected by the officials for possible violations. Challenging the BMC move, Sharma has now moved the Bombay High Court. 

Irrfan Khan

Actor Irrfan Khan has also been alleged by BMC to have carried out illegal constructions in his fifth floor flat in DLH Enclave, the same housing society in which Kapil Sharma owns a flat. The alterations made by Irrfan Khan to his property were apparently in violation of the Full Occupation Certificate issued by the P-South ward office in November 2013.

Sachin Tendulkar

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was in the news recently for a land-related dispute. Sachin Tendulkar's friend Sanjay Narang was facing land trouble issues for constructing a mountain resort in Mussoorie, and Tendulkar was said to have met Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for resolving the issue. The controversy stemmed from the fact that the property was located at Landour's cantonment area, a Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) controlled region, where any construction is said to be illegal.

Shah Rukh Khan

Actor Shah Rukh Khan was also involved in a case of illegal construction for creating an illegal ramp outside his famous Mumbai home 'Mannat'. The ramp apparently created problems for the locals as it blocked access to Mt. Mary Church nearby. Later, the ramp was demolished by the officials and the superstar was charged with a fine of Rs 1.94 lakh.

Hema Malini

Actor Hema Malini recently became part of a land-grab case. A 2,000 square metre plot in Oshiwara, Mumbai, was allotted to Hema Malini by the Maharashtra Government for a dance academy. Right to Information (RTI) activist Anil Galgali collected documents which showed that the plot, worth crores of rupees, had been allotted to Hema Malini for a mere Rs 70,000. Another plot of 1,741 square metres in the same locality had also been allotted to Hema Malini for only Rs 10 lakh.

Amitabh Bachchan

Actor Amitabh Bachchan was accused of being involved in a land scam in Uttar Pradesh. It was alleged that around 70,000 square feet of government land was allotted to Amitabh Bachchan in Daulatpur village, Barabanki district. The actor, however, got a clean chit later. The court ordered that fraudulent entries made in the land records be corrected and the land be restored to the Gram Sabha.