How can private land be declared a slum merely because it is near a slum? Bombay High Court asks SRA

In Ramesh Swaminath Singh v. SRA & Ors., the Bombay High Court raised fundamental questions about the legality of treating private land as "slum" simply due to its proximity to an adjoining slum. Petitioner Singh owns a 440-sq-meter plot in Malad East, with only five to six structures, and his land is reserved under the Development Plan 2034 for garden and road purposes. Nonetheless, the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) issued a notice under Section 13 of the Maharashtra Slum Areas Act (1971) declaring his plot a slum because adjacent land with numerous hutments had already been so designated. Singh challenged this move, asserting that assigning “slum” status to his land without his consent, and merely by association, violated his property rights. The High Court granted interim protection, maintaining status quo and preventing his land’s inclusion in any slum redevelopment scheme pending final adjudication. Significantly, the Court directed the SRA’s Chief Executive Officer to file a personal affidavit explaining how a private landowner’s plot with minimal structures can be declared slum solely due to adjacency, and questioned whether subordinate officers have the power to make such decisions without the CEO’s direct involvement. The matter was posted for further hearing, affording Singh legal relief until SRA explains its process and decision-making authority.