High court relief to Lata Mangeshkar in Jaiprabha studio land issue

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court has dismissed a public interest litigation challenging a 1982 decision of Maharashtra government allowing change of user on a plot of land in Kolhapur, belonging to singer Lata Mangeshkar.

The division bench of Justices SJ Vajifdar and Gautam Patel ruled that the petitioner did not make out any case as to why the decision of the state should be set aside.

Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal, an organization of Marathi film fraternity, had filed the PIL, contending that government's decision was meant only to favour Mangeshkar.

Lata Mangeshkar purchased this 13-acre plot in 1959 from renowned Marathi film director-producer Bhalji Pendharkar. Pendharkar had bought this land from the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur on the condition that it would be used for building a film studio.

The PIL contended that Pendharkar's Jaiprabha studio still stood on this land.

In 1982, Mangeshkar approached the government seeking permission to change the user of land, as she proposed to develop a residential housing scheme there. The government and the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation acceded to the request.

The petitioners had objected to this; however, the high court on Friday said that it would not like to interfere with the state government's decision.