Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has recently disposed of a petition filed by Ali Akbar Adamjee Peerbhoy, the scion of philanthropist Peerbhoy family, which alleged that the multi-storey Saifee Hospital had encroached upon a graveyard where his ancestors are buried.
The Peerbhoy family had donated the land to set up the hospital. Later, they learnt that the hospital had encroached upon the graveyard, the petition alleged. Mr. Peerbhoy filed a plea in the Bombay High Court, demanding that an FIR be lodged against the guilty officials of the hospital trust.
The petition was disposed of by Justice Ranjit More and Dr. Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi, who asked the police to record Mr. Peerbhoy’s supplementary statement and take appropriate action within seven days.
Earlier, his statement had been recorded, but the police wanted to record his supplementary statement.
Mr. Peerbhoy said the authorities are yet to take action, though the police recorded his supplementary statement on January 30 as per directives of the high court. He demanded action against those responsible for encroaching upon the graveyard, saying that they had hurt the sentiments of the Peerbhoy family. He alleged that the graveyard was encroached upon in 2012 after more than 1,000 graves were exhumed.
Mr. Peerbhoy said his great-grandfather had bought land at Charni Road in 1884 to set up a mosque, a sanatorium, a charitable hospital and a graveyard for the Bohra community. After his death in 1913, the Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy Sanatorium Trust was created in in 1931. In 1973, the Saifee Hospital trust was created and after 32 years, the Saifee Hospital started functioning.
The Supreme Court, in 2000, had directed the hospital trust to ensure that new construction should not affect the mosque and graveyard. While the mosque remains, the graveyard was allegedly taken over to accommodate a canteen for the hospital. — PTI
