Legal win for SRK as Supreme Court dismisses plea against Mannat's expansion

The Supreme Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance granted for the renovation and structural expansion of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's sea-facing bungalow, Mannat, located in Mumbai's Bandra. A three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohan rejected the appeal filed by Mumbai-based activist Santosh Daundkar. While passing the order, the Bench expressed serious doubts regarding the bona fides and genuineness of the petitioner, noting that if occupants choose to add floors to their residential property while broadly following the law, external parties should not unnecessarily intervene.

The legal dispute traces back to an approval granted by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) in January 2025, which permitted the addition of two new residential floors to the existing structure. Because the high-profile property falls within a regulated coastal perimeter, any form of structural reconstruction requires mandatory environmental clearances. The petitioner had alleged that the environmental approval was completely improper, claiming it violated environmental laws and citing past objections regarding groundwater extraction, potential coastal erosion, and an allegation that the land was originally meant for an art gallery rather than a private residential project.

Prior to approaching the apex court, Daundkar had challenged the redevelopment approval before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which dismissed his appeal at its Pune Bench in September 2025. The NGT had specifically noted that the project was strictly restricted to building a seventh and eighth floor above the pre-existing six-story structure, without involving any horizontal expansion or territorial encroachment toward the Mumbai coastline. The tribunal's records confirmed that Mannat is situated within the CRZ-II category, an urban coastal classification where reconstruction is legally permitted, and that the construction plans had been duly verified by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.