The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea raising alleged environmental violations over a two-storey addition to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s seafront house ‘Manat’ in Mumbai’s Bandra area.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said: “We have serious doubts about your intentions. Once we have a doubt, we will not accept the plea.”
The court was hearing the appeal filed by Santosh Daundkar, an environmental activist, who had challenged the rejection of his petition by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western District, Pune on September 16, 2025.
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The petition sought demolition of the seventh to eighth floors of SRK’s Mannat
The petition sought cancellation of the January 3, 2025 Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) permit granted for the construction of the seventh and eighth floors of the actor’s sprawling residence. His wife, Gauri Khan, was also named as a party by Daundkar in his confession before the NGT and the Supreme Court.
Senior advocate Shoaib Alam, representing the petitioner, told the court that rules have been observed and such a concession cannot be made to a person who happens to be a lead actor.
He stated that any construction in the “Manat” region requires obtaining prior environmental approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change for any project with a total investment cost exceeding $5 Crores. The petitioner alleged that this was not obtained.
Alam also argued that the entire plot of land in question was earlier earmarked for an art gallery in the statutory development plan and this condition was deleted in June 2004 without obtaining mandatory permission from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). The actor’s residence actually has six floors plus two basement levels.
The CRZ permit allowed the actor to have a basement and ground floor up to the eighth floor with a total height of more than 37 metres.
Alam said the NGT had refused to bypass the 2025 CRZ clearance because it was alleged that while constructing the structure, two heritage buildings were demolished without obtaining prior mandatory approval from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce. “You are now reviving a heritage construction suit,” the bench, also comprising Justices Joymalia Bagchi and V Mohana, said.
The court also rejected Alam’s request to remand the matter to NGT.
