Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 16: An 81-year-old man who claims to have been a schoolmate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received relief in a long-running land dispute after a firm linked to BJP MLA Narendra Mehta surrendered its construction permit for the disputed plot.
Asgarali Vohra, a resident of Mira Road in Maharashtra’s Thane district, said he attended BN School in Vadnagar, Gujarat, along with Modi. Vohra met the Prime Minister on September 8 and sought a CBI probe into the dispute involving a 2,810-square-metre plot in Navghar, Bhayander East, which he said he purchased in 1989.
Vohra had alleged that the property was encroached upon in 2011 by Swayam Builders and Seven Eleven Constructions, which he claimed were linked to Mehta.
In the latest development, Seven Eleven Construction Private Limited has surrendered its commencement certificate for the disputed plot. In a letter to the Assistant Director of Town Planning at the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, the company said it had purchased the property through a registered deed on June 13, 2019, and obtained construction permission on April 17, 2026.
The company cited the ongoing ownership dispute and requested the municipal corporation to cancel the construction permission and refund the fees deposited for the proposed project.
The firm has also taken steps to address a police complaint filed in 2015 against Vohra and his associate Ajay Dhokha, accusing them of criminal trespassing and intimidation. According to sources, Mehta contacted Dhokha through Vohra’s associate to initiate the withdrawal of the complaint.
Letters relating to the withdrawal of the police complaint and surrender of the construction permit were submitted to the concerned authorities ahead of a municipal hearing scheduled for September 16.
Vohra had earlier alleged that forged documents were created without his knowledge to divide the plot between the two entities. He said an FIR was registered in 2015 but that the dispute remained unresolved.
Following his meeting with Modi, Vohra expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved and said he had sought a CBI investigation into the case. He also said municipal officials had called representatives of the two firms for an explanation on September 16.
Maharashtra Transport Minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik had earlier shared photographs of Vohra with Modi and expressed confidence that the Prime Minister would ensure justice for his “schoolmate”.