The Bombay High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to 73-year-old builder Umraosingh Ostwal, who is accused of fraudulently altering building plans in a redevelopment project in Jesal Park, Bhayandar (East). Ostwal faces arrest under a 2021 FIR registered at the Navghar police station, following complaints by flat purchasers and a local ward officer of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
According to the FIR, MBMC’s original sanctioned plan for Ostwal Ornate Building No. 2 designated floors one to seven for residential use. However, Ostwal is accused of preparing a bogus building plan that misrepresented the first floor as intended for commercial use. This alleged forgery led to the construction of 112 shops on the first floor in place of the approved 16 residential flats. The charges include cheating, forgery, and the use of fake stamps and signatures purportedly of MBMC officers.
Despite being on interim protection since July 2021 – a measure intended to prevent his arrest while investigations were ongoing – Ostwal’s anticipatory bail application was rejected by Justice Shivkumar Dige. The court noted that, although the construction has since been regularised, the illegal act of submitting a false sanction plan cannot be overlooked. “The fabrication of a sanction plan with fake signatures and stamps, to show the first floor as commercial instead of residential, is an act that must be thoroughly investigated,” the judge stated.
Prosecutor Sangeeta Shinde emphasized the need for custodial interrogation to probe the preparation of fake stamps and forged documents, which were allegedly submitted to the registrar’s office during the sale of the shops. Senior advocate Shirish Gupte, representing Ostwal, argued that the plan in question was obtained through a Right to Information request and exists in MBMC records, suggesting that it may not be fabricated. However, the court remained unsatisfied with this explanation.
The case has sparked concerns over regulatory oversight in redevelopment projects, as flat purchasers continue to suffer from deviations from the originally approved residential plans. With Ostwal now facing further custodial interrogation, authorities are expected to intensify their probe into the matter, highlighting the challenges in enforcing compliance and maintaining transparency in urban redevelopment schemes.