Mumbai: Actor Sonu Sood is a ‘habitual offender’ who keeps carrying out unauthorised construction work in a residential building in suburban Juhu. On two occasions, demolition action has been initiated in the past at Sonu Sood’s residence. This was stated Tuesday by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in its affidavit filed in the Bombay High Court.
The affidavit was filed in response to the petition filed by Sood last week challenging a notice issued against him by the BMC. In its notice, the BMC had alleged that Sood carried out structural changes in the six-storey residential building ‘Shakti Sagar’ and was converting it into a commercial hotel.
“The appellant is a habitual offender. He wants to enjoy the commercial proceeds of the unauthorised work and therefore once again started reconstructing the demolished portion in order to make it operational as a hotel albeit illegally and without permission from the License department,” the civic body said in the affidavit.
As per the affidavit, Sood was trying to protect an ‘ex-facie illegal commercial hotel which has been constructed and modified by the appellant (Sood) contrary to the sanctioned building plan’.
“The appellant has not been given permission for change of user of the said property from residential to commercial and there is no license to run the commercial hotel,” the affidavit said.
It added that Sood had sought umbrage under unwarranted and baseless allegations of harassment and malafides. “The appellant, who has totally modified an entire building unauthorisedly into a hotel, is running the same without a license,” the municipal corporation said.
The BMC said initial action was initiated against the illegal construction in September 2018 but Sood continued the construction work. November 12, 2018, demolition of the unauthorised work was carried out. “Such is the audacity of the appellant that he once again started alterations and reconstructed the demolished portion. Therefore, the BMC once again took action of demolition on February 14, 2020,” the affidavit informed.
It said Sood had no documents to even indicate that he or his wife, Sonali Sood are the owners of the said building.
The petition will be heard on Wednesday by Justice Prithviraj Chavan.
Sood,is known for his roles in films like Dabangg, Jodha Akbar and Simmba. He came into spotlight in 2020 for his philanthropy work in helping migrants reach their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown.