State may allot newly constructed premises to MAT or pay rent for the current premises: MMRCL to Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on Thursday was informed about the issues surrounding the premises over which the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal is presently functioning on a temporary basis..The issue arose when the MAT, which was earlier located near the Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, was shifted to another location due to ongoing construction of the Mumbai Metro Project in the same location. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) was paying a hefty sum as rent for the MAT's new premises but later asked the State to allot another plot of land to MAT..Today, a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar orally expressed that the Court is not stopping the State from taking any steps in the interest of the Tribunal. “It is for the state to decide whether to keep the Tribunal functional or not; why should we tell you what is to be done? You take steps in two weeks” the Bench asserted..The Court was considering a writ petition moved by a lawyer pointing out that the lack of funds in the Tribunal due to which they did not have proper functional computers and technical man power.MAT Registrar, Suresh Joshi, had pointed out in the previous hearing that the technology in the tribunal was old and infrastructure was insufficient..In the hearing today, he informed the Court through advocate Amrut Joshi, that the State had accepted the proposal of the Tribunal seeking funds of ₹48,79,561 for the purchase of electronic machines.The state had also cleared the proposal for the relaxing the restrictions on recruiting technical manpower on the vacant posts. The Tribunal had thus begun the process of filling in the vacancies in all cadres of the staff, it was submitted. The Court was also informed that the Tribunal had begun the process to appoint approximately 20 members on the bench of the Tribunal..The issue with regard to the rent of the new premises was raised before the Court as well.The rent of ₹32.98 lakhs, as well as 15% yearly escalation fee and license fees, were being borne by the MMRCL, the company which had undertaken the project. On July 11, 2022, the company addressed a communication to the General Department of MAT proposing that State government should allot and handover an area of 18,000 sq.ft. of land near the old location for construction of an office building (in compliance of the order of the High Court in October 2016 in a public interest litigation).Due to the prolonging of the project, the company was facing difficulties and in view of that, the lease rent obligation should be borne by the State, the MMRCL had suggested. .The Court tagged the matter with the connected PIL and adjourned the matter to be taken up again after two weeks.