The Bombay High Court (HC) has directed the petitioner to make a representation before the committee of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) regarding the change of station name on Mumbai Metro Line 7within three months.
In addition, it asked the committee to consider the representation by a social organisation seeking to restore the name of metro's Dindoshi station to Pathanwadi.
Justices Sanjay Gangapurwala and Sandeep Marne disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Naee Roshni, which was filed by advocate Sahood Anwar Naqvi, that challenged MMRDA’s January 21, 2020, order renaming Pathanwadi station. The PIL alleged that the station was renamed Dindoshi under political pressure and requests of two MLAs – Atul Bhatkhalkar and Sunil Prabhu.
The bench noted that the petitioner had given representations to the committee in March 2021, and June 2022, and the same were not considered by the committee. The government lawyer submitted that the committee can take into consideration objections on merits in accordance with the policy concerned expeditiously, preferably within three months.
The PIL also claimed that renaming of ‘Pathanwadi’ metro station to ‘Dindoshi’ was a “sheer violation of the policy framed by MMRDA pertaining to naming metro stations”.
However, after the petitioner sought a refund of the deposit of INR 1 lakh and showed the willingness to donate INR 25, 000 with the MSLSA, the bench directed the registry to remit the donation amount and refund INR 75, 000 to the petitioner.
The petitioner donated the amount as a precondition to hear the PIL to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority (MLSA).
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