The Supreme Court on Friday, 5 February, permitted actor Sonu Sood to withdraw his plea challenging a notice issued to him by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over allegedly illegal construction in Mumbai, so that the civic body may first process and decide by speaking order an application filed by him and pending before it. The court also directed that no coercive action should be taken before Sood until the BMC decide on his application, reported Bar & Bench.
Following the Supreme Court's order, Sonu Sood issued a statement on Twitter saying he felt "vindicated" after being made to "suffer" at the hands of persons who tried to "malign" his image.
"My sole endeavour has been to conduct my business in a fair manner, with all the requisite permissions and clearances as my be required in law," he wrote.
"Unfortunately, I have had to suffer at the hands of certain persons with nefarious designs, who were out to malign my image. My request to everyone is to not give in to the demands of such people who masquerade as social activists but are not," Sood added.
Sonu Sood on 31 January moved the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court dismissed his appeal against a BMC notice over alleged illegal construction carried out by him at a residential building in Mumbai's Juhu neighbourhood. In his petition, the actor stated that his application for conversion had been approved by the Municipal Commissioner subject to Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) permission. He added in his plea that if the application of the petitioners for conversion is approved, the financial loss due to demolition will not be recovered.
The BMC has alleged that Sonu Sood has converted Shakti Sagar, a residential building on Juhu's AB Nair Road, into a hotel without obtaining the necessary permissions. The actor has dismissed these claims, saying that he had permission from the municipal body and was only waiting on clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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