Lata Mangeshkar violated norms for housing scheme, government tells HC

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court here today that singer Lata Mangeshkar had violated conditions imposed by authorities to regularise her scheme for reserving houses for people below the poverty line, though the singer denied the charge.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Lata Mangeshkar challenging a notice issued to her on January 4 this year by a state body, saying that she had to obtain permission before selling immovable property on her land at Kolhapur.

The state government said in an affidavit today that the time limit to implement the housing scheme proposed by the singer was to end on July 2011. At her request, the state government extended the time frame to October 2014.

However, while extending the time limit, the state government said that it had also penalised Lata Mangeshkar by asking her to pay Rs 5 per square feet per year, from 2011 to 2014, on underdeveloped land, but she chose not to pay, thus violating the condition.

Her lawyer argued today that she had refused to comply with conditions since they were "unreasonable". He denied that the singer had "violated" them as alleged by the state.

A division bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka said the matter would be heard on its merits after two weeks.

The singer has sought quashing and setting aside the January 4 notice issued by the Competent Authority under the Urban Land Ceiling Act.

Mangeshkar owns land admeasuring 38,623 square metres in Kolhapur and wanted to give it to Vikesh Oswal to develop residential and commercial tenements.

However, Competent Authority under the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act had declared that 23,889 square metres land is "surplus".