The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has instructed social activist Santosh Daundkar to present evidence supporting his allegations against actor Shah Rukh Khan and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) regarding Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the renovation of Khan’s Bandra residence, Mannat.

The NGT’s western zone bench ruled that if Daundkar fails to submit the required evidence within four weeks, his appeal challenging the CRZ clearance will be dismissed.

“If any violation of the above procedure has been committed by the Project Proponent or the MCZMA, the same may be submitted by the appellant specifically along with the evidence in support of that, within four weeks, failing which we would be left with no option but to dismiss the present appeal for non-compliance of the order of this Tribunal, at the stage of admission itself,” stated the bench comprising Judicial Member Dinesh Kumar Singh and Expert Member Vijay Kulkarni.

Daundkar’s appeal questions the legitimacy of the CRZ clearance granted for Khan’s proposal to add two additional floors to his six-storey mansion. He alleges multiple violations, asserting that fresh CRZ clearance should not have been granted until past infractions were rectified.

Among the concerns raised, Daundkar claims that Khan demolished two heritage structures without obtaining prior environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), a requirement under CRZ regulations.

Additionally, he argues that the land in question was originally reserved for an Art Gallery under the statutory Development Plan but was removed from this designation without necessary approvals from the MCZMA.

The appeal further alleges that Khan constructed a Ground + 6-storey building without mandatory MCZMA permission and developed a deep basement extending six meters below ground level. Daundkar claims this led to the unauthorized extraction of significant minor minerals and groundwater, both of which are prohibited under CRZ regulations.

Another major contention in the appeal is that Khan initially constructed 12 one-bedroom-hall-kitchen flats intended for mass housing but later merged them into a single luxury residence, allegedly in violation of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976.

The Tribunal observed that the alleged violations occurred between 2000 and 2006, whereas the CRZ clearance in question was granted on January 3, 2025, under the provisions of the 2019 CRZ Notification. It noted that the basis for challenging the clearance was not entirely convincing but granted Daundkar four weeks to provide substantive evidence.

Failure to do so will result in the dismissal of the appeal. The next hearing is scheduled for April 23.

Advocate Aditya Pratap represented Daundkar in the proceedings.