Mumbai, October 16, 2025: In a strongly-worded judgment, the Bombay High Court has dismissed a review petition filed by a doctor in a slum rehabilitation case, imposing a cost of ₹5 lakh and initiating contempt of court proceedings against her for “suppression of material facts” and “abuse of the judicial process.” A division bench of Justices Kamal Khata and A.S. Gadkari found that petitioner Dr. Mumtaz H. Khoja had deliberately concealed information to mislead the court and claim benefits she was not entitled to.
Background. The case originated from a writ petition filed by Dr. Khoja against the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and a developer, seeking allotment of a rehabilitation tenement and arrears of transit rent from 2009. After her petition was dismissed in February 2024, the Supreme Court granted liberty to file a review petition, leading to the present proceedings.
Court's Findings. Contrary to her claim of being a deprived senior citizen, the court found Dr. Khoja, a practicing doctor, was in illegal possession of three structures in the slum — one for residence, one for her clinic, and a third running a school under a trust she chaired — collectively over 2,200 sq. ft. She had filed two separate petitions for the “residential” and “school” structures, portraying them as independent to claim multiple benefits while concealing the connection from the court. Her claim of never receiving transit accommodation was found false, as she already held a commercial shop allotted in 2006 and had refused to vacate one of the rooms despite being provided another. The court dismissed documents she produced as “ex facie bogus.”
Directions. The court held her conduct “amounts to abuse of process” and that she had “played hide and seek” with the court. It directed her to pay ₹5,00,000 as costs to the Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund within two weeks, failing which the amount would be recovered as land revenue arrears including attachment and sale of her properties. The Court Registry was directed to issue a show-cause notice on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against her. Expressing concern for children's safety, the court also directed the BMC and SRA to inquire into how the trust was permitted to run a school for 150 students in an unsafe slum structure without necessary permissions, including a fire NOC.
