Rani Mukherjee allowed to develop disputed land in Shirdi

The Bombay High Court has allowed Bollywood actor Rani Mukherjee to develop her plot of land, embroiled in litigation, near Shirdi, her lawyer said.

In a major relief for the actor, the High Court has¿¿ directed Maharashtra government to put her name on the '7/12 extract' of the land. 7/12 extract is the basic title document for land.

Rani's purchase of 11 'gunthe' (around 11,000 sq ft) of land at Nigho, close to Saibaba temple at Shirdi in Ahmednagar district, was questioned by the administration. The government had sought to cancel the land deal, saying it needed the collector's permission as per the Ceiling Act.

However, Rani's argument is that the original owner had got the land's status changed to 'non-agricultural' in 1981, and obtained permission to sell it.

After that, land changed many hands, and government took no objection to these sales, said advocate Nanasaheb Chaudhary, Rani's lawyer. All these transactions were recorded in the 7/12 extract too, he said.

"Once land is classified as non-agricultural, ceiling restrictions don't apply," he told PTI. Justice N H Patil of the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court, in a ruling on April 29, ordered that Rani's name be put on the 7/12 extract, Chaudhary said. The Court gave Rani permission to develop the land, or even to sell it, but the actor will have to give a bank guarantee of Rs 30 lakh, Chaudhary said.

This is an interim order and the case would come up for final hearing in due course, he said.